First Human Case of Rabies in Illinois Since 1954: CDC Confirms Man Died After Being Bitten by Bat

In mid-August, a man from Lake County, Illinois woke up to find a bat on his neck. However, he later died from rabies as confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported in its news release that this is the first human case of rabies in the state since 1954.

87-Year-Old Man Died From Rabies After Being Bitten By A Bat

According to the Daily Herald, the McHenry County coroner's office said that 87-year-old Thomas Krob died on September 20 at Northwestern McHenry Hospital.

The news outlet reported that the man woke up one morning in mid-August to find a bat on his neck. Upon testing, the bat was positive for rabies so health officials recommended postexposure rabies treatment to Krob. However, the man declined and began experiencing symptoms that are consistent with being infected by rabies after a month since the incident.

Health officials said that they are now paying close attention to people who had close contact with Krob, especially after wildlife experts found a bat colony in the man's home.

"Rabies has the highest mortality rate of any disease," IDPH Director Ngozi Ezike said in the news release. "However, there is a lifesaving treatment for individuals who quickly seek care after being exposed to an animal with rabies.

IDPH health officials urge anyone who has been exposed to rabies to immediately seek medical attention and follow the recommendations set by health care experts to prevent further problems.

They pointed out that although human rabies is rare in the United States with only 1 to 3 cases annually, rabies exposures are still dangerous because it infects the central nervous system and ultimately causes death. But preventive treatment could save lives.

Unfortunately, Krob's case underscores the importance of public awareness of rabies exposure in the country. Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister reminds the public that rabies is almost always fatal and it is vital to receive appropriate treatment as soon as possible.

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Rabies in Bats

The CDC shared that the most common source of human rabies in the US is bats. Previous cases reveal that 17 out of 19 naturally acquired cases of human rabies in the country from 1997 to 2006 were from bats. Most of them had encountered bats indoors, wherein about four people said that a bat landed on them and one said that he awoke because he was bitten by a bat.

In some cases, people are unaware that bats carry rabies and end up dying because they were not able to seek medical care immediately. Meanwhile, young children may have not awoken when the bats bit them or they did not inform their parents or guardian.

In a separate article, CDC said that transmission of rabies can occur from minor to unrecognizable bites from bats. That is why handling them by untrained and unvaccinated individuals is strictly prohibited. They are also not recommended to be kept as pets.

If ever human rabies is caused by bats, the bat in question should be safely collected to be submitted for rabies diagnosis then the person exposed will be given rabies postexposure prophylaxis.