The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reporting the first human case of rabies in Illinois since 1954. According to IDPH, a man in Illinois has died in the state’s first human case of rabies. The 80-year-old Lake County man found a bat on his neck after waking up from sleep in mid-August.
The bat tested positive for rabies after it was captured. However, when the man was told by doctors that he needed to begin post-exposure rabies treatment, he refused. The IDPH said in a statement.
Consequently, the man began to experience symptoms of rabies a month later. His symptoms include finger numbness, difficulty speaking, difficulty controlling his arms, and neck pain. The man died as a result of these complications. A bat colony was found in his home by wildlife experts after his death. The CDC confirmed the diagnosis on Tuesday.
According to the CDC, the U.S. only sees one to three cases of human rabies each year. In most cases, rabies is fatal without preventive treatment, health officials said. According to IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, rabies has the highest mortality rate of any disease.
However, life-saving treatment is available for anyone who swiftly seeks medical care after being exposed to an animal with rabies. You should immediately seek medical attention and follow health officials’ recommendations if you think you may have been exposed to rabies. Ezike said.
While human rabies cases are rare in the United States, rabies exposures are still common. According to a report, over 60,000 Americans receive the post-exposure vaccination series each year. The most commonly identified species with rabies in Illinois are bats. At least thirty bats have tested positive for rabies in Illinois this year so far, according to health officials.
According to the CDC, rabies is primarily found in other wild animals, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. Due to a possible exposure in Illinois, more than a thousand bats are tested for rabies each year. About 3% of those tested bats are positive for rabies.
