On Wednesday, September 29, 2021, an 80-year-old man passed away from an unusually rare rabies case. The man resided in Lake County, Illinois, and reportedly was the unfortunate victim of a previous bat bite that took place about a month before his death. After further examination of the situation, medical officials tested the bat for rabies which would later come back with positive results. Ever since the unnamed elderly man has been experiencing symptoms “consistent with rabies.” Officials later came across a family of bats nesting in an unknown area of the man’s property.
This specific case checks off as the first human rabies incident in the state of Illinois since 1954, 70 years. Only 1-3 human rabies cases are reported each year in the United States making this one of the rarest human diseases in today’s climate. Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister released a public statement on the matter: “Sadly, this case underscores the importance of raising public awareness about the risk of rabies exposure in the United States. Rabies infections in people are rare in the U.S. However, once symptoms begin, rabies is almost always fatal, making it vital that an exposed person receives appropriate treatment to prevent the onset of rabies as soon as possible.”
Officials say that “bats are the most common species with rabies” in the state of Illinois, as they continue to try and reduce the spreading of this virus. No other human cases have been reported this year, which is a great thing to note considering that “rabies has the highest mortality rate of any disease,” according to IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. Hopefully, people posted in a high authoritative position will learn from this incident and move with more caution throughout the infected land.