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An Illinois man has died of rabies a month after he was believed to be infected by a bat at home. This reports CNN on the authority of the health authorities. It is the first human rabies infection in the state since 1954.
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jvhSource: BELGIAN
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The octogenarian woke up last month with a bat on his neck. The bat tested positive for rabies, but the man refused treatment. On Tuesday, the CDC health authority confirmed after an investigation that the man was indeed infected with rabies. Experts found a bat colony in the man’s home.
“Rabies has the highest mortality of all diseases,” said Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) director Ngozi Ezike. “However, there is life-saving treatment for people who quickly seek help after being exposed to an animal with rabies.”
The rabies virus is transmitted through direct contact with an infected animal, usually a bat, including through saliva or brain tissue. The virus affects the central nervous system, causing a brain disease that can lead to death without treatment, the CDC said.
Rabies in humans is rare in the US. One to three cases are reported each year, according to the IDPH. About 60,000 Americans do receive the vaccinations that are administered to people who have been exposed to the virus every year. One to three people die each year from the virus in the US. In the 1940s, there were still 30 to 50 deaths per year, but the number has fallen sharply due to the vaccination of pets and existing treatments.
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