Woman dies after contracting rabies in African animal sanctuary

A woman who contracted rabies while working in an African animal sanctuary has become the first Briton to die from the virus for four years. Lisa McMurray, from Northern Ireland, had been in a critical condition in the intensive care unit of Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital since the condition was diagnosed in December. It is thought she was infected with the virus, which is invariably fatal if not treated immediately, after being scratched or bitten by a rabid dog she had been helping to look after. Miss McMurray had travelled to Africa a number of times over the last couple of years, but began to feel unwell after being home for several months after her last trip in March 2008. Since 1946 there have been 23 deaths among Britons infected with rabies abroad. The most recent human case was in 2005 when a woman became infected after being bitten by a dog in Goa, India, and later died in hospital in Liverpool. It is believed Miss McMurray may have been infected as far back as December 2006 while working in an animal sanctuary in South Africa. She sent home emails at the time detailing how she had been scratched while separating two dogs. Miss McMurray, who was in her 30s, worked as an adoption manager at the Cats Protection centre at Dundonald. She is believed to be the first person in Northern Ireland to have contracted rabies for 70 years. The Eastern Health and Social Services Board in Belfast led a multi-agency investigation into her case and insisted the risk to the community was negligible – there is no documented case of human-to-human transmission of rabies anywhere in the world.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4144781/Woman-dies-after-contracting-rabies-in-African-animal-sanctuary.html