Guyana has reported its first fatal case of rabies in sixteen years. ARS is conducting an in-depth investigation, while the method of contamination is unknown at this stage, reports Franceinfo.
It is a rare disease that is making a comeback overseas. As reported by franceinfo, on Friday March 29, three patients died in a Cayenne hospital, at least one of whom was infected with rabies. This is the first documented case in sixteen years, the prefecture and Guyana’s ARS indicate. Three patients admitted to the intensive care unit between February 17 and March 1 came from the “Eau Claire gold mining site” in southern Guyana.
“Patients died on average within ten days of admission“, refers to the press release published by ARS. Analysis is still ongoing to determine the causes of death of the other two people. At this stage the contamination situation is still unknown, indicates the head and hosts of the Virus Interaction Laboratory, at the Pasteur Institute.
A virus fatal to almost all species
So far, the only documented case of rabies in Guyana dates back to 2008.”The main reservoir of rabies in South America is the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus“, recalls the Pasteur Institute expert. Rabies is a deadly virus for all species, including humans, except for bats.
Posted on March 29 at 7:08 pm by Quentin Marchal, 6 Media
