Minas confirms fourth human rabies death in the year

The fourth death from human rabies in the year, in Minas Gerais, was confirmed by the State Department of Health (SES-MG). The victim of the disease was a four-year-old girl, who died on May 28. She was a resident of the rural area of ​​Bertpolis, in the Mucuri valley, where all the confirmed cases of the disease occurred.

The secretariat informs that, until May 26, the rural area of ​​Bertpolis had about 90% of the population vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine against human rabies. In addition, as of May 16, 755 dogs and cats had received immunization against the disease.

Before this year’s cases, the last death from the disease had been recorded in 2012, in Rio Casca, in the Zona da Mata. According to Health Secretary Fbio Baccheretti, the lethality of human rabies is almost 100%, and that is why recent cases are a cause for concern.

Other confirmed deaths

The third case was a 5-year-old child who died on April 17. All the fatalities involved children from the Maxakali indigenous reserve.

Suspected cases

In addition to the four confirmed deaths, the state also recorded two suspected human rabies this year. The first case was reported on April 21. This is an 11-year-old child, also from the rural area of ​​Bertpolis, who had symptoms such as fever and headaches. Due to proximity to confirmed occurrences of the disease, the patient’s condition was investigated, but the presence of the hydrophobic virus was ruled out. He was discharged from the hospital in early June.

Currently, there is one case under investigation by SES-MG; he is a 17-year-old resident of Tefilo Otoni, also in Vale do Mucuri and about 130 kilometers from Bertpolis. He was hospitalized with neurological symptoms, however, there is still no confirmation of human rabies.