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HPA - Confirmed rabies case in puppy in Malawi (11/22/2008)
Confirmed rabies case in puppy in Malawi
21 November 2008
The Health Protection Agency has been made aware of a case of confirmed rabies in a puppy that may have been in contact with UK travellers at the Mabuya Camp backpacker lodge near Lilongwe (the capital of Malawi).
The Agency is asking anyone who stayed at the lodge between 28th October and 14th November and who had any contact with the puppy to seek medical advice.
It is understood that around 75 UK travellers stayed during this time.
The Agency is working with staff at the lodge and other organisations to try and contact all the British travellers.
The lodge has already been in touch with many of the visitors there during the time the puppy was ill, has posted information about the incident on its website and has informed companies who use the camp, as well as all backpacker hostels and camps within a 500 mile radius in neighbouring Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Everyone who was in contact with the puppy during the dates outlined above is advised to speak to a medical professional who will assess their risk. They may then be offered rabies vaccine as a precaution. For people who have returned to the UK they are advised to speak to their GP or NHS Direct.
For those who are still travelling in Africa they can go to a medical clinic in their nearest large town or city.
Dr David Brown, a rabies expert at the Health Protection Agency, said: "Thanks to the prompt attention from the lodge's owners, information about this rabies case has been circulating widely within the backpacking community. We have already been in contact with a number of people who were staying there and these have been assessed and vaccinated if appropriate for their individual risk.
"Anyone who has family or friends who are travelling in Africa and may have stayed at the lodge should try to get in touch with them and advise them to visit a local medical professional if they might be affected. Anyone who has had any contact with this puppy such as having been bitten, scratched or licked around the eyes, mouth or on an open wound should seek prompt medical advice."
"This serves as a timely reminder to anybody due to travel to countries where rabies virus is common, such as Africa. Talk to your doctor or nurse about whether or not a rabies vaccine is appropriate. And remember not to touch animals when you are abroad as you cannot know that there is no risk."
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Notes to Editors:
1. The case was confirmed by a Malawian vet on the 17th November.
2. The puppy was fostered from a local animal rescue organisation on 28th October and was thought to have been vaccinated against rabies but was subsequently discovered not to have been. It had the first dose of vaccine on 12th November and the puppy behaved entirely normally until it became aggressive on 14th November when it was isolated from guests and other animals at the camp (three dogs and a cat). It was euthanised on 16th November and a post-mortem confirmed the diagnosis of rabies on 17th November.
3. GPs, A&Es and other health care professionals are being asked to be vigilant in assessing people who report dog bites which occurred in Malawi during the periods of risk.
4. Rabies is an acute viral infection that is extremely rare in the UK; the last case of classical rabies acquired in this country was a century ago, in 1902. Very occasionally cases occurring since then have all been acquired abroad, usually through dog bites. Transmission is usually through saliva via the bite of an infected animal; there are no documented cases of human-to-human transmission. Since 1946 there have been 22 deaths in the UK from rabies acquired abroad. A person who is bitten by a rabid animal but given treatment with rabies vaccines can expect not to develop rabies. Rabies vaccine is very safe and highly effective at preventing rabies, but should be given promptly once the risk has been identified.
5. Travellers should: Seek advice before travel about whether they need rabies vaccine; while this is generally not recommended for travel in Western Europe, for example, it may be recommended for visits of more than a month to some countries, especially developing countries where rabies is common in animals. When travelling, stay away from stray or unattended animals. If bitten in a country where rabies is present clean the wound thoroughly with soap and plenty of water and seek medical advice immediately. If a person has not had treatment in that country they should still seek medical advice immediately on return, even if the bite was weeks before.
6. Further information on rabies is available at the Agency's website http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/top...abies/menu.htm
7. Healthcare professionals and members of the public can find more information about travel health (including country specific advice) by logging onto the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website www.nathnac.org or the Fit for Travel website at http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/
For media enquiries, please contact the HPA Centre for Infections press office on:
Louise Brown 020 8327 7080
Kathryn Swan 020 8327 7097
Alex Baker 020 8327 7098
David Daley 020 8327 6647
Last reviewed: 21 November 2008
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<cite cite="http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1227255702821?p=1204186170287">HPA - Confirmed rabies case in puppy in Malawi</cite>
21 November 2008
The Health Protection Agency has been made aware of a case of confirmed rabies in a puppy that may have been in contact with UK travellers at the Mabuya Camp backpacker lodge near Lilongwe (the capital of Malawi).
The Agency is asking anyone who stayed at the lodge between 28th October and 14th November and who had any contact with the puppy to seek medical advice.
It is understood that around 75 UK travellers stayed during this time.
The Agency is working with staff at the lodge and other organisations to try and contact all the British travellers.
The lodge has already been in touch with many of the visitors there during the time the puppy was ill, has posted information about the incident on its website and has informed companies who use the camp, as well as all backpacker hostels and camps within a 500 mile radius in neighbouring Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Everyone who was in contact with the puppy during the dates outlined above is advised to speak to a medical professional who will assess their risk. They may then be offered rabies vaccine as a precaution. For people who have returned to the UK they are advised to speak to their GP or NHS Direct.
For those who are still travelling in Africa they can go to a medical clinic in their nearest large town or city.
Dr David Brown, a rabies expert at the Health Protection Agency, said: "Thanks to the prompt attention from the lodge's owners, information about this rabies case has been circulating widely within the backpacking community. We have already been in contact with a number of people who were staying there and these have been assessed and vaccinated if appropriate for their individual risk.
"Anyone who has family or friends who are travelling in Africa and may have stayed at the lodge should try to get in touch with them and advise them to visit a local medical professional if they might be affected. Anyone who has had any contact with this puppy such as having been bitten, scratched or licked around the eyes, mouth or on an open wound should seek prompt medical advice."
"This serves as a timely reminder to anybody due to travel to countries where rabies virus is common, such as Africa. Talk to your doctor or nurse about whether or not a rabies vaccine is appropriate. And remember not to touch animals when you are abroad as you cannot know that there is no risk."
-ends-
Notes to Editors:
1. The case was confirmed by a Malawian vet on the 17th November.
2. The puppy was fostered from a local animal rescue organisation on 28th October and was thought to have been vaccinated against rabies but was subsequently discovered not to have been. It had the first dose of vaccine on 12th November and the puppy behaved entirely normally until it became aggressive on 14th November when it was isolated from guests and other animals at the camp (three dogs and a cat). It was euthanised on 16th November and a post-mortem confirmed the diagnosis of rabies on 17th November.
3. GPs, A&Es and other health care professionals are being asked to be vigilant in assessing people who report dog bites which occurred in Malawi during the periods of risk.
4. Rabies is an acute viral infection that is extremely rare in the UK; the last case of classical rabies acquired in this country was a century ago, in 1902. Very occasionally cases occurring since then have all been acquired abroad, usually through dog bites. Transmission is usually through saliva via the bite of an infected animal; there are no documented cases of human-to-human transmission. Since 1946 there have been 22 deaths in the UK from rabies acquired abroad. A person who is bitten by a rabid animal but given treatment with rabies vaccines can expect not to develop rabies. Rabies vaccine is very safe and highly effective at preventing rabies, but should be given promptly once the risk has been identified.
5. Travellers should: Seek advice before travel about whether they need rabies vaccine; while this is generally not recommended for travel in Western Europe, for example, it may be recommended for visits of more than a month to some countries, especially developing countries where rabies is common in animals. When travelling, stay away from stray or unattended animals. If bitten in a country where rabies is present clean the wound thoroughly with soap and plenty of water and seek medical advice immediately. If a person has not had treatment in that country they should still seek medical advice immediately on return, even if the bite was weeks before.
6. Further information on rabies is available at the Agency's website http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/top...abies/menu.htm
7. Healthcare professionals and members of the public can find more information about travel health (including country specific advice) by logging onto the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website www.nathnac.org or the Fit for Travel website at http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/
For media enquiries, please contact the HPA Centre for Infections press office on:
Louise Brown 020 8327 7080
Kathryn Swan 020 8327 7097
Alex Baker 020 8327 7098
David Daley 020 8327 6647
Last reviewed: 21 November 2008
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