A Minnesota resident who came into contact with a bat in July has died of rabies, the state Department of Health announced Friday.
This person’s death is a rare event, as fewer than 10 people die from rabies each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The person is over 65 years old and was exposed to a bat in western Minnesota in July, the Minnesota Department of Health said.
CDC officials confirmed the rabies diagnosis at their Atlanta laboratory on September 20. In a news release, the state health department said it was working to assess whether more people were exposed to the disease, but said there was no continued risk to the public.
Authorities said the fatal case advised the public to avoid contact with the bats, whose teeth are so small that a bite may not be felt or even leave a visible mark.
Rabies is caused by a virus that invades the central nervous system and is usually fatal in animals and humans. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal. But rabies treatment has been shown to be most effective in preventing illness after exposure, state health officials said. Treatment should be started before rabies symptoms appear, they added.
Dr. Stacy Holzbauer, state public health veterinarian, also advised people to vaccinate their pets and livestock against rabies.
The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has fallen from more than 100 cases per year in the early 1900s to fewer than five cases per year in recent years, according to the Department of Health. About 70% of infections acquired in the country are attributed to exposures to bats.
