Rabies: 20 people vaccinated as grandmother fights for life after being bitten by dog in India

Rabies: 20 people vaccinated as grandmother fights for life after being bitten by dog in India

• The woman, in her 50s, was bitten by a puppy while on holiday in India. She is said to be unlikely to survive
  
• She went to her GP and the AE department of Darent Valley Hospital twice over four days but was sent home each time
• Hospital admits turning woman away, claiming she didn't tell doctors she had been bitten
• Her pet cat was screened, but cleared of infection
  
• She is only the fourth case of rabies in Britain in the last twelve years
  

By Sophie Borland, Anthony Bond and Ian Garland

PUBLISHED: 14:23 EST, 23 May 2012 | UPDATED: 08:31 EST, 24 May 2012

Twenty people have been vaccinated against rabies amid fears they could have caught the disease from a grandmother, who is currently fighting for her life in a London hospital.

The woman, thought to be in her 50s and of Indian origin, was bitten by a puppy while on holiday in India two months ago.

She sought help when symptoms first surfaced two weeks ago, but was turned away twice by doctors at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford. It is now thought she is unlikely to survive.

Investigation: Five members of staff at Darent Valley Hospital have been vaccinated after coming into contact with the woman

A spokesman for Darent Valley Hospital said an investigation has been launched after the woman was turned away - but insisted doctors were unlikely to consider rabies, because the UK is officially free of the disease and the woman failed to mentioned she had been bitten by a dog.

He told the MailIOnline: 'The UK is rabies free. If a patient does present at hospital with vague symptoms a doctor is unlikely to consider rabies as a diagnosis unless the patient highlights wild animal contact in an at risk country.

'The hospital responded to the information supplied by the patient at the time.

'Although there are no cases of rabies being passed through human-to-human contact, the five members of staff that came into close contact with the patient are being vaccinated as a precautionary measure.

'We have launched an investigation into the circumstances around this lady’s attendance at the emergency department and we are working clo sely with the Health Protection Agency.'

A total of 20 people have been vaccinated against the illness, including six relatives of the woman, hospital medics and at least one doctor.

One of two pet cats belonging to the woman has also been screened - because it had recently been treated by a vet - but it has been given the all clear by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

A DEFRA spokesman told the MailOnline: 'If there are animals involved, we'll take a look at it, but in this case there's absolutely nothing to worry about.

'The cat was treated by a vet, but it was just suffering a cold. If the cat had rabies, it would have died within a few weeks' of contracting the disease.'

The woman was finally diagnosed with rabies after her GP referred her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich.

She was then moved to the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases, where she is being treated in an isolation room.

Specialist treatment: The patient is in an isolation room at University College Hospital, London (above) after developing symptoms within the last fortnight

Doctors have warned that the chances of a rabies victim surviving are extremely slim, as once symptoms develop it is nearly always fatal.

It is caused by a virus which spreads through the bloodstream to the brain and spinal cord.

It can take between four days and 12 weeks to spread, so if patients are vaccinated in time they can be treated.Early symptoms of rabies include fever, insomnia, anxiety and sickness.

Despite the vaccinations, officials at the Health Protection Agency have stressed that there is no risk the illness will have been passed on to the general public.

In theory, the illness can be transmitted by kissing, sex and organ transplants - but there have been no cases of human-to-human infection.

There have only been three other cases of rabies in the UK since 2000. The last time a Briton caught rabies from a dog in this country, rather than abroad, was 1902.

In July 2005 when a woman from Manchester died after contracting it from a dog bite during a holiday in the Indian resort of Goa.

Dr Brian McCloskey, director of the Health Protection Agency for London, said: ‘It is important to stress that there is no risk to the general public as a result of this case or to patients and visitors at the hospital where the patient is receiving treatment.

Deadly: The grandmother's illness is the first case of rabies in England in almost seven years. The last occurred in July 2005 when a woman died after contracting it from a dog bite during a holiday in the Indian resort of Goa, pictured

Rare: Naturalist David McRae (pictured) became the first person in Britain to die of the disease for 100 years after he was bitten on the hand by a rabid bat in 2002

'Despite there being tens of thousands of rabies cases each year worldwide, there have been no documented laboratory confirmed cases of human-to-human spread.

‘Therefore the risk to other humans or animals from a patient with rabies is considered negligible.

‘However, to take every possible precaution, family members and healthcare staff who had close contact with the patient since they became unwell have been assessed and offere d vaccination.’

The Foreign Office doesn't currently offer any rabies warning for Britons visiting India, a spokesman urged travellers to 'visit their GPs before they travel to check on what vaccines and preventtive medicines they need to take.'

Professor David Brown, a rabies expert at the HPA advised those planning trips to India to avoid contact with animals.

He said: 'Talk to your doctor or nurse about whether or not a rabies vaccine is appropriate before you travel.

'All travellers to a rabies-endemic country should avoid contact with cats, dogs and other animals wherever possible as you cannot be certain that there is no risk.

'If you are bitten, scratched, or licked by a warm blooded animal you must take immediate action and wash the wound or site of exposure (e.g. mucous membrane) with plenty of soap and water.

'Seek medical advice without delay even if you have been previously vaccinated.'

'Rabies vaccine is e xtremely effective at preventing rabies if you are bitten even when this is given some time after an exposure. If you do not seek medical treatment while abroad, you should still seek it when you come home.'

In 2002, naturalist David McRae, 56, of Guthrie, Angus, became the first person in Britain to die of the disease for 100 years after he was bitten on the hand by a rabid bat.

Killer: Rabies viruses showing their characteristic bullet shape. The disease has an extremely low survival rate once symptoms have developed

Vaccination programme: Although all but eradicated in the UK rabies is still common in developing countries

Rabies is caused by a virus which spreads through the bloodstream to the brain and spinal cord. It can take between four days and 12 weeks to spread, so if patients are vaccinated in time they can be treated.

Last night a hospital spokesman said: ‘The Hospital for Tropical Diseases is currently looking after a British patient diagnosed with rabies following a trip abroad. The patient is in a serious condition.

‘We would like to reassure our patients, visitors and staff that there is no risk to them as a result of this case.’

A DEADLY VIRAL INFECTION WHICH KILLS ABOUT 55,000 PEOPLE EACH YEAR

Lethal: There are about 55,000 cases of rabies worldwide each year. Half of all rabies cases occur in India, the Taj Mahal is pictured

Rabies is a viral infection which targets the nervous system and the brain.

It is only spread by infected animals to humans, most often through the animal biting or scratching the person.

It can also be spread by an animal's saliva being in contact with a graze or cut on a human's skin.

The majority of rabies cases result from being bitten by an infected dog.

The symptoms of the illness include high temperatures, numbness at the area where the bite occurred and hallu cinations.

Some victims also have hydrophobia, which is a fear of water.

There are about 55,000 cases of rabies worldwide each year with most cases occurring in Africa and Asia.

But half of all rabies cases occur in India.

The grandmother's illness is the first case of rabies in England in almost seven years.

The last occurred in July 2005 when a woman from Manchester died after contracting it from a dog bite during a holiday in the Indian resort of Goa.

Most cases of rabies in the UK occur from people infected abroad or from quarantined animals.

Since 1946, 24 people have died who have been infected with rabies abroad. A total of four of these have occurred since 2000.

In 2003, it was discovered that UK bats may be carrying a rabies-like virus.

A bat handler died after contracting the virus in Scotland.

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