Man, 56, dies of brain-swelling rabies after being bitten by a monkey – raising fears virus is making a comeback
A MAN has died after contracting rabies from a monkey bite.
The 56-year-old man was bitten by a marmoset monkey in July and passed away on August 27 after the disease left him with fatal inflammation in his brain and spinal cord.
Rabies is a rare but serious infection that’s usually caused by being bitten or scratched by an infected animal.
Vaccination and treatment can prevent it, but it’s almost always fatal once symptoms appear, according to the NHS.
Rabies is very rare in the UK and more common in parts of Asia, Africa and Central and South America.
The 56-year-old man who passed away contracted the disease in a rural area of Brazil, local media G1 reported.
The man was bitten by a marmoset on July 15 in Piripiri a municipality in northeastern Brazil.
But he only sought medical care weeks later, after developing encephalitis – inflammation of the brain that’s triggered by the rabies virus.
According the Piauí’s State Department of Health, the 56-year-old transferred to a hospital in Teresina on August 12.
The victim reportedly began to experience symptoms such as vomiting, drooling and fainting on August 6.
He went to the Chagas Rodrigues Regional Hospital in Piripiri on August 12, when he was transferred to a hospital in the state capital of Teresina.
He passed away on August 27 at the Natan Portella Institute for Tropical Diseases.
Cases of rabies were last seen in the state of Piauí over a decade ago in 2013, G1 reported.
At the request of Brazil’s Ministry of Health, health officials in Piripiri were asked to survey rabies vaccination coverage of dogs and cats in the region.
It comes after a rare outbreak of rabies was declared in seals in Cape Town in July.
Eleven of the animals tested positive for the deadly bug, after seals with “cherry-red, evil eyes” were seen viciously attacking beach dwellers in Cape Town.
What rabies does to the body and how it's treated
Rabies is known as a deadly virus that is typically spread through a bite or scratch from an infected animal.
The infection is common worldwide but is predominantly found in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
Some of the animals that are most likely to spread the disease are dogs, bats, foxes, skunks and raccoons.
Symptoms
After a bite or other rabies exposure, the virus can take weeks or months to start causing symptoms.
This timeframe is what doctors call the incubation period in which the virus is travelling through the body and to the brain.
Some of the most common symptoms of rabies include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Excess salivation
- Muscle spasms
- paralysis
- mental confusion
The World Health Organization describes two main manifestations of the disease: furious rabies and paralytic rabies.
People or animals with furious rabies may appear agitated, become aggressive, and drool excessively, while other symptoms include hyperactivity, fear of water, and even fear of fresh air.
The symptoms of paralytic rabies, on the other hand, are more understated—typically causing gradual paralysis as a patient remains calm and lucid.
Treatment
If you’ve been bitten or scratched by an animal in an area with a risk of rabies you should immediately clean the wound with running water and soap for several minutes.
After this, you must disinfect the wound with an alcohol- or iodine-based disinfectant and apply a simple dressing.
After the wound is addressed, you should see a doctor as soon as possible and they will determine if you need a rabies vaccination or not.
Post-exposure treatment is nearly 100 per cent effective if it’s started before any symptoms of rabies appear.
Some cases will require immunoglobulin, which is administered into and around the wound.
This provides short-term protection if there is a significant chance of infection in the wound.
Treatment should ideally begin within a few hours of being bitten, but can be delayed up to 24 hours if needed.
Scientists called on anyone injured by a seal along South Africa’s coastline to see a doctor urgently, as quick treatment and vaccination within 24 hours of a bite are essential for stopping the disease from becoming fatal.
Health officials in Bali have also raised the alarm of the deadly bug.
The island has seen high numbers of rabies cases over the past year, with four people dying following dog bites, The Bali Sun reported.
As of August, there were 34,809 bite cases recorded in Bali Province, with 263 positive rabies cases and four deaths.
Meanwhile, least 38 people – most of them children – have died in a severe outbreak of the “rabies-like” Chandipura virus in India.
Initial symptoms can look a lot like the flu, but they can rapidly develop over just 24 hours to encephalitis, coma and death.