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A ProMED-mail post
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: Wed 7 Jan 2009
Source: Daily Telegraph online [edited]
A woman who contracted rabies while working in an African animal
sanctuary has become the 1st Briton to die from this virus infection
in the past 4 years. The woman, from Northern Ireland, had been in a
critical condition in the intensive care unit of Belfast's Royal Victoria
Hospital since the condition was diagnosed in December [2008]. It is
thought she was infected with the virus -- which is invariably fatal
if not treated immediately -- after being scratched or bitten by a
rabid dog she had been helping to look after.
The woman had traveled to Africa a number of times over the last
couple of years but began to feel unwell after being home for several
months after her last trip in March 2008.
A statement from her brothers said: "We are devastated by the loss of
our sister. We are extremely proud not only of all she achieved in
life but also of the bravery with which she fought her illness. Her
courage was inspiring and typical of the passionate and determined
way in which she led her life. Her loss will leave a huge hole in all
our lives, and her family and friends will miss her terribly."
Since 1946, there have been 23 deaths among Britons infected with
rabies abroad. The most recent human case was in 2005 when a woman
became infected after being bitten by a dog in Goa, India and later
died in hospital in Liverpool. It is believed the Belfast patient may
have been infected as far back as December 2006 while working in an
animal sanctuary in South Africa. She sent home emails at the time
detailing how she had been scratched while separating 2 dogs. One of
the animals later had to be put down after it started foaming at the mouth.
The woman, who was in her 30s, worked as an adoption manager at the
Cats Protection centre at Dundonald [in Northern Ireland]. She is
believed to be the 1st person in Northern Ireland to have contracted
rabies for 70 years. The Eastern Health and Social Services Board in
Belfast led a multi-agency investigation into her case and insisted
the risk to the community was negligible; there is no documented case
of human-to-human transmission of rabies anywhere in the world. In
the UK, the last human death from [canine] rabies contracted
domestically was in 1902. The World Health Organization has estimated
the annual number of human rabies deaths to be between 40 000 and as
high as 70 000. Most of these deaths take place in developing
countries, particularly in South and Southeast Asia.
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
[The length of the presumed incubation period is surprising but not
exceptional and probably contributed to the late diagnosis of the
unfortunate woman's condition. The vaccination status of the victim
is not revealed, but it must be presumed that she had not sought or
been offered post-exposure vaccination after sustaining a bite from a
aggressive canine while working in South Africa. The deceased woman
should have been offered protective anti-rabies vaccination prior to
her employment in an animal sanctuary, a high risk environment in a
rabies-endemic country.
Northern Ireland and the city of Belfast can be located on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the United Kingdom at:
- Mod.CP]
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