Rabies kills man in Contra Costa County, CA

[Ernie Coffman]

Just saw this item in one of my readings, this a.m.

Contra Costa County Man Dies from Rabies
October 5, 2012 8:54 am · 4 comments


A 34-year-old unidentified Contra Costa County man has died of rabies. He is the first Contra Costa County resident to die of the disease in nearly 20 years, according to the Contra Costa County Health Department (CCCHD).

CCCHD says the victim passed away on July 31 while working abroad in another country. They say after an investigation, health officials believe he contracted rabies in the southern part of Contra Costa in late March after coming into contact with a bat. The man became ill after leaving the United States.

Most human rabies infections in the United States are attributed to rabid bat exposure. Though rabies infections in people are rare in the United States, once symptoms begin, rabies is almost always fatal. This case highlights the importance of continued efforts to raise public awareness about the risk of rabies virus exposure in the United States. To be safe, people should not handle bats or other wildlife, and any contact should be reported to local health officials.

[Crockett]

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

"Despite evidence that control of dog rabies through programs of animal vaccination and elimination of stray dogs can reduce the incidence of human rabies, exposure to rabid dogs is still the cause of over 90% of human exposures to rabies and of over 99% of human deaths worldwide."

http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/location/index.html