Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
A VALENCIA woman is in critical condition at a regional hospital, after contracting rabies nearly a full year ago from a dog biting her in Ethiopia.
Rabies is a fatal disease in almost 100% of cases once symptoms appear and the current prognosis for the patient has been described as ‘very poor’.
The 44-year old was not immunized against rabies prior to his July 2024 trip to Africa.
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The man returned to Spain without seeing a doctor after a dog bit his right leg.
Incubation periods of up to one year have been reported, even though rabies normally appears in humans after three weeks.
In the Valencia case rabies symptoms such as mood swings and nausea appeared several months after the initial infection.
The National Centre for Microbiology diagnosed rabies in late May, and administered rabies immuneglobulin to the patient before admission.
As a preventive measure, his wife received an immunoglobulin and a vaccine. She’s doing fine.
The Health Ministry said rabies transmission among humans is ‘very exceptional’ and added that the risk to the population is minimal.
This case emphasizes the importance of vaccinations for travelers to countries where rabies in animals is prevalent.
In 1975, two people died in Malaga from the last outbreak.
Spain has been free of rabies since 1978 thanks to mass vaccination campaigns that have taken place for cats and dogs.
