When his father returned to the Netherlands, Jim didn’t know anything. The wound was not mentioned. His father went to work as if nothing had happened. “He never said anything about it.”
Pajamas in the car
So Jim wasn’t aware of any harm either. Until an afternoon months later in June, when his father, as always, picked up his mother (stewardess) from Schiphol. His mother looked surprised when she suddenly saw her husband in his pajamas behind the wheel. “He was also sweating a lot, had muscle aches and couldn’t focus on the road well,” Jim says.
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Rabies in the Netherlands
Rabies, also known as rabies, is caused by a virus. You can become infected through a bite, scratch or lick from an infected animal. Infection is fatal in many cases.
Worldwide, about 50,000 people die from the disease every year. However, the disease is rare in the Netherlands. In the past 40 years, five people have died of rabies in the Netherlands. All these patients became infected abroad. In Western Europe, a less contagious variant of the rabies virus is often found in bats. It rarely leads to infection in humans.
Rabies can be treated at an early stage, i.e. as soon as possible after a possible infection. Treatment consists of administration of a specific antiserum and additional vaccinations. This preventive treatment can only be given before someone develops symptoms. An untreated rabies infection is always fatal.
Source: RIVM
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It was wrong, a study in the Tropencentrum in Amsterdam revealed a little later. His father was infected with rabies. At the hospital, Jim heard the news: “My mother had a pale and contorted face, my father looked out. It was very quiet. The doctor told me that my father had rabies. I didn’t know what I heard.”
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Jim was 16 years old at the time. The doctor told him that the chances of survival were nil. He saw his father sitting dejected. “It was a huge shock.”
Symptoms worse
In the days that followed, his father deteriorated rapidly. The symptoms kept getting worse. His father was very afraid of water. “If I wanted to tap a glass of water, he was terrified. I had to turn off the tap immediately.” His father also saw crickets on the wall and other animals on the ground.
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The whole disease process was a stressful period for the family. The doctors told his father to be placed in an artificial coma as soon as possible. “In all of history, a girl has survived because of it,” Jim says.
He has a brother and sister, she studied in Hong Kong. “I’m not going into a coma until I see my daughter again,” his father said.
‘Unreal situation’
They said goodbye with the whole family. It was a “very unreal situation” for Jim. “He went to all of us and told us what he liked.” To keep things light-hearted, Jim says, I said: ‘The last half hour has arrived’. They had been given a deadline until 12 noon. “My mother then became angry, but also had to laugh again. That is what I mean by unreal.”
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His father died three weeks later. “Those last weeks in intensive care had their ups and downs,” Jim tells me. He especially found the reactions on social media difficult. “People who said my father was the ‘bitten dog’ or ‘should have just had a vaccination’. That is very painful.”
But he also remembers the happy moments, such as the many friends of his father who visited the hospital. “Who would we have lunch with in the courtyard?”
Draw attention
After his father’s death, the question began to arise as to why he felt so little attention was paid to the disease. He had the idea that it was never discussed in the Netherlands. “I don’t want people to feel the same as my father. There needs to be more brand awareness for the disease.”
That’s why Jim is going to run the Berlin Marathon on September 26, at collect money. Two days later it is World Rabies Day.
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At the same time, he wants to draw attention to the consequences it can have for a family if a loved one is in ICU. “Three years after my father’s death, I broke down. That period had a very big impact for me. I think it is important to provide better aftercare, but for now that is still lacking.”
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