A man who contracted rabies in Ethiopia dies in Valencia.

BarcelonaA 44-year-old patient has died in a hospital in the Valencian Community after testing positive for rabies. The man was bitten by a dog during a trip to Ethiopia in July 2024 and was not vaccinated against the disease. The bite was on his right leg, and after the wound was cleaned, he made a good recovery, so he did not consider seeking medical attention upon his return. At the end of May, a suspected case of rabies imported from Africa was reported to the Ministry of Health, but it was not until last Thursday that it became known that the man was in isolation and in serious condition in the intensive care unit (ICU). Both he and his wife, the only at-risk contact, were given the rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin, but virtually 100% of people with rabies end up dying, and finally, this Friday, health authorities confirmed that nothing could be done to save the man's life.

The Regional Minister of Health, Marciano Gómez, explained this week that the man was admitted to the hospital in a "very serious" condition and stressed that this is an "exceptional" case. The Deputy Director General of Public Health Surveillance and Emergency Response, Jacobo Mendioroz, specified in statements to ARA that rabies has not been eradicated worldwide because not all countries can afford to carry out mass vaccination campaigns for mammals like those carried out in Spain, which is why there are areas where it has not been eradicated. These are mainly countries with limited resources in Africa, Asia, and South America.

Almost 50 years without a case in Catalonia

Since 1978, no cases of rabies in mammals have been detected in Catalonia, with the exception of 2013, when a dog was detected that had been in an endemic country and became ill upon its return. Therefore, Mendioroz emphasizes the importance of preventive vaccination if traveling to countries where the disease is spreading, especially if you plan to go backpacking where there is a risk of encountering an infected animal. If you choose not to get vaccinated and are bitten by an animal (rabies is transmitted through contact between saliva and blood), it is necessary to act quickly and receive treatment as soon as possible, as the disease is almost always fatal if left untreated, the expert warns.