Bat infects Alberta man with rabies

Posted on March 3, 2007
Filed Under Health |

An Alberta, Canada, man is in serious condition at the hospital several months after being bitten by a rabies infected bat. This is the first case of rabies in the Canadian province in 22 years.

The unfortunate man was bitten by the infected bat while sleeping in August 2006. The first flu-like symptoms of the disease can occur 3-12 weeks or up to 2 years after the infection. The Alberta man did not get vaccinated as he should have been after the incident and he did not develop the serious disease until now. Rabies is deadly if not treated early. In fact, at this point it not likely that the man will survive.

Rabies is a viral disease. It is transmitted to humans from animals including foxes, raccoons, skunks and, of course, bats. It is a very serious disease that attacks the brain (causing inflammation of the brain) and spinal cord. Rabies is not known to have ever been transmitted from an infected human to another.

There have been 21 persons that have died from rabies in Canada since 1925. However, most cases of rabies in humans occur in Africa, Asia and South America; India alone reports thirty thousand deaths annually. Many territories, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Taiwan, Japan, Hawaii, Mauritius and Guam, are free of rabies, although there may be a very low prevalence of rabies among bats in the UK. New Zealand and Australia have never had rabies.

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