Briton who died of rabies was given vaccine too late

Animal bite that can turn deadly Traveller infected by cat on Morocco trip

Rabies is a rare but serious infection that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.

Affecting the brain and nerves, it is usually caught from the bite or scratch of an infected animal.

Animals in the UK are not affected apart from a small number of wild bats.

It is found throughout the world but is most common in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.

Rabies is a “zoonotic” infection, meaning it is only transferred from animals to people.

Symptoms usually appear at between three and 12 weeks.

First symptoms include fever, headache, feeling unwell and, occasionally, discomfort at the site of the bite.

Other symptoms appear a few days later, which include producing lots of saliva or frothing at the mouth.

Rabies is almost always deadly once symptoms appear, but treatment before this is very effective.

There are around 59,000 cases of rabies around the world each year.

ABriton who died after being bitten by a rabid cat while in Morocco “did not receive the vaccine until it was too late”, it has emerged.

Public Health England issued a warning to travellers after the UK resident contracted the disease.

No more details of the case have been released.

It is understood the person was bitten a few weeks ago and was not given immediate, potentially lifesaving, treatment.

Prompt care, including wound cleaning and a course of the rabies vaccine can save a person’s life.

Professor Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “My understanding is that this is somebody who had contact with a cat that was behaving abnormally and sought care, I believe in Morocco and in the UK, but unfortunately didn’t receive vaccination until it was too late.”

He added: “The typical time interval (for symptoms to appear) is two to three months, so you do have enough time (to seek care).

“But it can be as short as a week. That’s why seeking prompt care and getting vaccination is so important.

“In this tragic case the person didn’t get the vaccine in time.”

Public Health England said there is “no risk” to the wider public but as a precautionary measure, health workers and close contacts have been offered vaccination if necessary.

Rabies does not circulate in either wild or domestic animals in the UK, but between 2000 and 2017 five UK residents became infected with rabies after “animal exposures abroad”, PHE added.

The last recorded rabies case in Britain was in 2012, when a UK resident was bitten by a dog in South Asia.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisations at PHE, said: “This is an important reminder of the precautions people should take when travelling to countries where rabies is present.

“If you are bitten, scratched or licked by an animal you must wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water and seek medical advice without delay.”

There have been no documented cases in the UK of humans acquiring rabies in animals other than bats since 1902.

But a single case of human rabies acquired from a bat was reported in 2002 in Scotland in a bat handler.