UK rabies victim dies in hospital after dog bite

A woman has died of rabies in the UK after being bitten by a dog in south Asia.

Healthcare Global covered the story last week, when the UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) confirmed somebody was receiving treatment for rabies at the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

However, the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust announced her death late yesterday.

She passed away at the weekend, approximately two months after receiving the original bite.

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In a statement released yesterday evening, the Trust said: “We regret to announce that a patient being treated for rabies by the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and colleagues at University College Hospital died over the weekend.

“The patient's family have kindly requested for the media to respect their privacy during this very difficult time and we will not be releasing any further details, nor will the family be making any statements.

“Our sincere condolences go out to them.”

The victim – thought to be in her 50s – did not seek treatment for the bite until she started to feel unwell, reportedly seven weeks after the initial incident.

She then unsuccessfully sought medical treatment at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, England on two occasions before she was finally admitted to hospital and diagnosed with rabies.

Doctors said she failed to tell them that she had been bitten by a dog in south Asia.

Following her diagnosis, 20 people who had come into contact with her were given rabies vaccinations as a precaution.

It is the first case of rabies in the UK since 2008 and only the fourth since the year 2000, all of which were caused from bites from foreign dogs.

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