Man Hospitalised in Valencia with Rabies After Dog Bite in Africa a Year Ago

A 44-year-old man remains hospitalised and isolated in a critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital in the Valencian Community after being bitten by a dog during a trip to Africa in July 2024, contracting rabies. The Ministry of Health has informed the Centre for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES) of the Ministry of Health about this confirmed case of rabies, which the newspaper 'ABC' reported.

The patient was bitten in Ethiopia during his holiday, marking the first case in Spain, a country considered free of the virus since 1978. The wound, inflicted on his right leg, initially healed well after cleaning, leading the patient to forego medical consultation upon returning to Spain. According to ABC, Valencian public health services have indicated that the patient is 'deteriorating' and remains hospitalised.

The affected man was not vaccinated against rabies, and analytical tests confirmed the disease on 29 May, following verification by the National Centre for Microbiology. The patient has been administered rabies immunoglobulin during his hospital stay.

Sources from the Valencian Ministry of Health have told Europa Press that rabies is typically transmitted through bites from infected animals in countries where it is not controlled. However, they also note that human-to-human transmission is 'very rare'.