This Thursday, New Zealand announced its first fatal case of rabies. The doctors applied “all infection control measures” in the two hospitals where the patient was treated, first in Whangarei (north) then in the neighboring city of Auckland, said the Ministry of Health.
In a statement, the ministry said that “The transmission of rabies from one person to another is extremely rare, almost unknown, and therefore there is no risk to the public”. Rabies is usually transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal that bites someone.
“New Zealand does not have rabies in its animal or human populations”
The patient, whose identity has not been released, was suspected of having the disease when he was admitted to hospital in early March. The lab results later confirmed it was the first-ever case of rabies in New Zealand, which has a population of five million.
The Ministry of Health said that “New Zealand does not have rabies in its animal or human populations, and this case does not affect our status as a rabies-free country.”
In addition, the director of public health, Nick Jones, warned that “Travellers should be aware, however, that thousands of human cases of rabies are reported each year worldwide, including in a number of countries in our region.”
