It is CNN who reports that a man in the US state of Illinois died of bat rabies.
This is the first case of rabies in a human in the state since 1954.
The man, who was in his 80s, woke up with a bat on his shoulder in his room at his home in Lake County, Illinois.
In a press release The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) writes that bats tested positive for rabies, but that the man refused health care after the bite.
In the pensioner’s house, the authorities found what they describe as a “bat colony”.
– Highest mortality of all diseases
Rabies infection occurs according to Lommelegen when a sick animal bites or claws at the skin so that it becomes sore, or licks on mucous membranes or damaged skin.
The incubation period, ie duration from infection until one becomes ill, is usually between one and three months.
About a month after retiring from the bat, he began to have neck pain, headaches and numbness in his fingers.
He also had difficulty talking and controlling his arms.
The CDC reports that the man was diagnosed with rabies and died.
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In the press release, Illinois Department of Public Health Chief Ngozi Ezike points out that there is hope for people who are infected.
“Rabies has the highest mortality rate of all diseases, but there is a life-saving treatment for people who seek help quickly after being exposed to an animal with rabies,” he says.
Neck pain and difficulty speaking
Illinois health authorities are now warning against bat bites because the bites can be difficult to detect.
They write that anyone who has been in direct contact with a bat must not let it go, as it should be tested for rabies.
– They have very small teeth and the bite marks are not always easy to see, they write.
The missing man participated in his own search operation
40 rabies-infected bats in Europe
National Institute of Public Health writes that in 2018 rabies was detected in about 40 bats in Europe.
Most rabies cases were reported from Germany, but also the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, reported rabies cases in bats in 2018.
In Europe, four confirmed cases of rabies in humans infected with bats have been reported so far.
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