The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources says health officials have diagnosed a Sumter County woman with the state's first case of human rabies in more than half a century.
"We are deeply saddened to report that a middle-aged woman from Sumter County has contracted the rabies virus," said Eric Brenner, M.D. and medical epidemiologist with DHEC's Bureau of Disease Control. "There are only about one-to-three cases of human rabies each year in this country. Tragically, rabies almost always ends in death."
In Friday's news release, Dr. Brenner said almost all rabies infections occur as the result of a bite that introduces infected saliva into the fresh wound.
"In this instance, we believe it's likely she was bitten by a bat that entered her home a few months ago," Dr. Brenner said. "The rabies virus travels slowly through the body until it reaches the brain and central nervous system and produces serious initial symptoms including headache, difficulty swallowing, seizures, anxiety, agitation and confusion. Most patients die within a few weeks after the onset of these symptoms."
DHEC staff are now investigating to make sure no one else was exposed.. like family, friends, co-workers and healthcare providers who've come in contact with her since the bite.
"It is important to note that person-to-person transmission of rabies has never been documented, with the exception of special circumstances in medical settings," Dr. Brenner said. "Exposure to the blood of an infected person is not considered a reason to be treated for rabies."
Dr. Brenner says bites from rabid bats are the most common type of exposure to humans and because the bites are tiny, they often go undetected.
"If you find a bat inside your home, don't release it outside," Dr. Brenner said. "Do not touch the bat with your bare hands. Trap it under a container and contact your county DHEC environmental health office to have the bat tested for rabies. If the bat is found outside on the ground, don't touch it. And if a pet comes in contact with a bat, the bat should be trapped under a container and you should call your county DHEC environmental health office to have the bat tested for rabies."
For more information about rabies, see DHEC's Web page at: http://www.scdhec.gov/rabies
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web page on rabies can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/rabies
