Massachusetts Man Dies From Rabies Bite

A Cape Cod man who was bitten by a brown bat in December has died of rabies encephalitis, as reported by the Boston Globe and other news sources.

According to the Cape Cod Times, "Galvin apparently was bitten in his Marstons Mills home, but didn't know it until symptoms started showing. Usually at that point, it's too late to recover because the virus has invaded the brain, disrupting signals to vital body parts such as the heart and diaphragm, health officials say."

Rabies is a viral disease, spread via the saliva of infected animals. Most commonly this is through bite wounds, although contact with infected saliva via mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, nose or existing open wound) is also a risk. Dogs and cats are required to be vaccinated for rabies by law in the US. Bats and other wildlife are a large reservoir for rabies, and it is often difficult to detect a bite from a bat until symptoms appear.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a lot of information about rabies in humans and pets, as well as information about bats, a common carrier of rabies.

Related News Stories:

• Man Dies After Contracting Rabies From Bat
• Mass. Man Dies After Contracting Rabies From Bat
• Rabies killed Marstons Mills man

Photo: Little Brown Bat / USFWS Headquarters on Flickr

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