Minneapolis, September 28: A Minnesota resident who came into contact with a bat in July died of rabies, the state's department of health has announced. The person's death marks a rare occurrence, as fewer than 10 people in the US die from rabies each year, according to the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The person is over the age of 65 and was exposed to a bat in western Minnesota in July, the Minnesota Department of Health said on Friday.

CDC officials confirmed the rabies diagnosis at its lab in Atlanta on September 20. In a news release, the state health department said it was working to evaluate whether more people were exposed to the disease, but said there was no ongoing risk to the public. Officials said the fatal case advised the public to avoid contact with bats, whose teeth are so tiny that a bite may not be felt or even leave a noticeable mark. Death by Nitrogen Hypoxia in US: Murderer Alan Eugene Miller Executed by Nitrogen Gas in Alabama.

Rabies is caused by a virus that invades the central nervous system and is usually fatal in animals and humans. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal. But rabies treatment has proven to be nearly highly effective at preventing the disease after an exposure, state health officials said. Treatment must be started before symptoms of rabies appear, they added. Hot Car Death in US: Toddler Dies in Back Seat As ‘Drunk’ Mother Passes Out in Vehicle Amid Scorching Weather in California.

Dr Stacy Holzbauer, the state public health veterinarian, also advised people to get their household pets and livestock immunised against rabies. The number of rabies-related human deaths in the US has declined from more than 100 annually in the early 1900s to less than five cases annually in recent years, the health department. About 70 per cent of infections acquired in the country are attributed to bat exposures.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)