Man, possibly transmitted by bats, dies of rabies in Guyana: first in 16 years

On Thursday, March 28, 2024, regional authorities indicated that three patients had died at Cayenne Hospital, at least one of whom had rabies. This is the first case recorded since 2008 in Guyana.

16 years since this happened. Three patients have died at Cayenne Hospital, and at least one of them had rabies, the first documented case in sixteen years, the province and the American Relief Service in Guyana said on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Rabies is responsible for many deaths

The three patients were admitted to the intensive care unit between February 17 and March 1, 2024.From the site Search for gold “Eau Claire”in southern Guyana.

“Patients die on average within 10 days of admission. specific Press release published by ARS. Analysis is still underway to determine the causes of death of the other two people.

Specialists have embarked on a long series of analyzes to understand the origin of these deaths. Rabies is still responsible today Tens of thousands of human deaths every year around the world.

The method of contamination is still unknown at this stage, said Anne La Vergne, head of the Laboratory of Viruses and Host Interactions at the Pasteur Institute.

For the first time in 16 years

And in France, on the territory of the capital, no case of human rabies has been reported since 1924. But in 2008, a human case was recorded in Guyana, recalls Anne Lavergne, head of the laboratory of virus/host interactions at the institute.

“The main reservoir of rabies in South America is the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus.She explained to Agence France-Presse, quoting: Le Figaro.“It is possible that an entire colony of bats became infected within a short period of time, leading to a greater likelihood of encounters between a local human population.” she added.

This infectious disease is fatal to all species, including humans. Only bats are immune to rabies.