(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Illinois has recorded its first human case of rabies since 1954, state and suburban public health officials said Tuesday.
A resident of north suburban Lake County in his 80s woke up one day last month and found a bat on his neck, the Illinois Department of Public Health said in a news release.
The bat was captured and tested positive for rabies. Doctors advised the man to begin treatment, but he declined, officials said.
One month later, the individual reportedly began experiencing rabies-like symptoms that included neck pain, headache, difficulty controlling his arms, finger numbness and difficulty speaking.
The resident died. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the rabies diagnosis after testing at its lab, officials said.
“Sadly, this case underscores the importance of raising public awareness about the risk of rabies exposure in the United States,” Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister said. “Rabies infections in people are rare in the United States; however, once symptoms begin, rabies is almost always fatal.”
Bats are the most commonly identified species with rabies in Illinois. Wildlife experts found a bat colony in the home of the Lake County man who died.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only one to three human cases of rabies are reported in the U.S. every year.
But rabies exposures are still common, with an estimated 60,000 Americans receiving the post-exposure vaccination series each year, health officials said. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system.
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