Cat in Morocco Sends British Man Home With Fatal Virus

The victim died of rabies after a bite while abroad
By Josh Gardner,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 12, 2018 5:00 PM CST
Rabies Kills Man Bitten by Cat While Overseas
A street cat.   (Getty/fotocelia)

A British man is dead after authorities say he sustained a bite from a rabid cat while traveling abroad. Per the BBC, the unnamed victim became infected with rabies in Morocco and died after returning home to Britain. The Telegraph reports the transmission occurred several weeks ago and that the victim didn't receive the lifesaving rabies vaccine in time. The man's name was not released, but it was reported that he sought medical care in both Morocco and in Britain.

Per the UK government, Morocco is among those countries worldwide where there is an elevated risk of coming into contact with the virus, which is among the deadliest known to man and virtually always fatal without treatment. While the virus is not found in animals in the UK, five other Britons have become infected with rabies while abroad since 2000. (In the US, however, rabies can be found in wild animals. Just last week, a Utah man became the first in his state to die from the disease since 1944.)

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