Community Corner

State Officials Report Human Death From Rabies

Death of North Jersey woman, who was bitten in Haiti, is first confirmed case since 1997.

A 73-year-old woman who tested positive for rabies died Wednesday at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services reported.

This is the state’s first case of human rabies infection since 1997, when a Warren County man died after removing several bats from his home and failing to seek medical attention. Before that, the state’s last human rabies case was in 1971.

The 73-year-old woman was bitten by a dog in her native Haiti in April. She developed neurological symptoms on June 25 and had been hospitalized since July 2.

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She could have been infectious as of June 11, officials said.

New Jersey DHHS and U.S. Centers for Disease Control officials are accessing the level of exposure among the woman’s family, health care workers at the hospital and others. 

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CDC testing on Wednesday confirmed the patient was infected with a rabies strain related to an individual infected in Haiti several years ago.

“The risk of infection to health care workers and others who may have been in contact with the patient is extremely low,” said Acting Health and Senior Services Commissioner Dr. Tina Tan. “Given the infection control precautions used in hospitals, exposures should be very minimal.”

Rabies is a deadly virus found in the saliva of a rabid animal and is transmitted by a bite, scratch or contact with infected saliva via exposure to an open cut or wound.

Initial symptoms can include fever, pain at the site of the bite, lethargy, lack of appetite, nausea and vomiting. The incubation period is usually one to three months, but may be longer. After the illness progresses to the point of encephalitis—or infection in the brain—the disease is almost always fatal. Rabies can be prevented with a dose of immune globulin and a series of vaccinations. 

Rabies cases in humans are rare in the U.S. Most are caused by contact with bats or animal bites received in other countries. In New Jersey, raccoons and bats carry the virus and cats account for the vast majority of domestic animal rabies cases. 

To protect yourself and your pets from rabies:

  • Vaccinate your pets against rabies.
  • Do not feed or touch wild animals.
  • Avoid contact with strays or pets other than your own.
  • Report unusual behavior in stray/ wild animals to your local animal control.
  • Report all bites immediately to the local health department.

If you are bitten:

  • Wash the wound immediately with soap and water.
  • Learn as much as you can about the animal. Get the animal owner’s name and address. If it is a wild or stray animal, look to see if there are any distinguishing features. If possible, safely confine the animal and call your local animal control officer.
  • Contact your doctor or emergency room for wound care and ask about preventative treatment.
  • Report the incident to your local health department.

In 2010, there was one human rabi.es case in Louisiana, attributed to exposure in Mexico. In 2009, there were four human cases diagnosed in the US; one diagnosed in Virginia was attributed to a dog bite that occurred in India.  The other three were bat exposures in Texas, Indiana, and Michigan.  
For more information about rabies, click here.


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