Man dies of rabies from bat bite in Contra Costa County
A 34-year-old man died in Switzerland over the summer from
rabies contracted from a bat in Contra Costa County (California)– the first death
rabies death traced to the county in nearly 20 years, officials
announced Friday.
The man, whose name has not been released, became ill before leaving the United States to work overseas. He died in a hospital in July, according to Contra Costa Health Services.
Tests later confirmed rabies as the cause of death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified of the death in late August and launched an investigation. It concluded the man had probably been infected in March after touching a bat in southern Contra Costa County, said Erika Jenssen, head of Contra Costa Public Health’s communicable disease program.
“Tragically, this man died from rabies,” Jenssen said in the statement. “It’s critical that people who have been bitten by bats or wild animals seek medical attention immediately.”
Three bats tested positive for rabies in the county this
year. Last year in California, 211 of 223 animals that tested positive for
rabies were bats, said Curtis Fritz, state public health veterinarian with the
California Department of Public Health, in a statement.The man, whose name has not been released, became ill before leaving the United States to work overseas. He died in a hospital in July, according to Contra Costa Health Services.
Tests later confirmed rabies as the cause of death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified of the death in late August and launched an investigation. It concluded the man had probably been infected in March after touching a bat in southern Contra Costa County, said Erika Jenssen, head of Contra Costa Public Health’s communicable disease program.
“Tragically, this man died from rabies,” Jenssen said in the statement. “It’s critical that people who have been bitten by bats or wild animals seek medical attention immediately.”
In its last fatal rabies case, a man who had been bitten by a rabid dog in Mexico traveled to Contra Costa County, where he became sick and died, in 1993.
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