US soldier dies of rabies after dog bite in Afghanistan

[Doomsday101]

A 24-year-old American soldier died of rabies after being bitten by a dog last year in Afghanistan, US health officials said Thursday following an investigation into the rare case.

The otherwise healthy soldier started experiencing symptoms of shoulder and neck pain and tingling sensations in his hands soon after arriving at Fort Drum, N.Y., in mid-August 2011.

His condition escalated to include nausea, vomiting, anxiety and trouble swallowing. By the time he was admitted to an emergency room, he was dehydrated and hydrophobic, meaning he developed an intense fear of drinking liquids because of the painful muscle spasms he experienced while swallowing.

"He was lucid and described having received a dog bite on the right hand during January 2011 while deployed to Afghanistan," said the report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/05/03/us-soldier-dies-rabies-after-dog-bite-in-afghanistan/#ixzz1tqA5Beu7

[Hoofbite]

Damn. That sounds horrible.

[Doomsday101]

Yeah it does. I recall several years ago a person here in Houston died of Rabies after being bitten by a bat

[Doomsday101]

From World Health Organization
Key facts
Rabies occurs in more than 150 countries and territories.

Worldwide, more than 55 000 people die of rabies every year.

40% of people who are bitten by suspect rabid animals are children under 15 years of age.

Dogs are the source of 99% of human rabies deaths.

Wound cleansing and immunization within a few hours after contact with a suspect rabid animal can prevent the onset of rabies and death.

Every year, more than 15 million people worldwide receive a post-exposure preventive regimen to avert the disease – this is estimated to prevent 327 000 rabies deaths annually.

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http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs099/en/

[casmith07]

Man the first thing anyone should do after any animal bite is go to the ER and get a rabies shot.

[dexternjack]

You would think his CO would make him go get a shot immediately.

[ninja]

Don't know if this is the same case I read about a while ago. In that case, the soldier disobeyed numerous orders and kept the dog as a pet. Also, IIRC, the soldier refused medical help immediately after the bite even though numerous people told him to see the doctor and medical help was available to him if he sought it out.