A person was diagnosed with human rabies after a bat bite them in the canton of Dota, San José, in August. This was confirmed by tests done by the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), the Ministry of Health, and the National Animal Health Service (SENASA).
In Costa Rica there were no cases of human rabies since 2014, according to a press release sent by the institution. In addition, the country had eliminated canine rabies since 1970.
Apparently, on August 15th, the patient was on a walk in Dota in San José, and handling a bat that bit them. Instead of going to a medical center, they chose to clean the wound.
Initially, they did not have any symptoms; however, later they began to feel muscle weakness, orientation disorders, difficulty swallowing, and other symptoms.
The Ministry of Health reported that the patient was admitted to Intensive Care with life support. In addition, Dr. Daniel Salas, director of Epidemiological Surveillance, stated this is an isolated case.
Rabies is a viral infection that mainly affects the central nervous system and could cause death. Transmission is usually done through saliva from the bite of an infected animal. It is also transmitted after saliva-wound contact.
The institution used the opportunity to make a call to go to the nearest health centers in case of being the victim of an animal bite.