Elderly Minnesotan dies of rabies after bat bite

Minnesota has reported just seven cases of the rare infectious disease in more than 100 years, and all were fatal.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 28, 2024 at 5:09PM
File photo of a western small-footed bat collected by researchers in a cave near Ely, Nev. (KIM RAFF/The New York Times)

An elderly Minnesotan died this year after a bat exposure at home in the western part of the state resulted in a case of rabies.

The state Department of Health announced the death Friday after the rabies infection was confirmed in testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sept. 20.

The case is the seventh on record in Minnesota since 1917, and the fourth since 2000. All seven of the infections were fatal.

State health officials said the death does not indicate a heightened risk to the public, but they urged people to avoid contact with bats, which are responsible for 70% of U.S. rabies cases. State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Stacy Holzbauer also reminded people to vaccinate their pets and livestock against rabies.

Rabies is treatable with an immune globulin injection and four doses of rabies vaccine to boost the immune system, but only if treatment is started before symptoms emerge. Otherwise, the disease is almost always fatal.

The state said the victim was older than 65 and exposed to the bat in July. The investigation into the infection continues, but family members said the victim had killed the bat in the house. The individual did not receive rabies treatment before symptoms emerged.

Public health workers were following up to determine whether close relatives or health care workers who treated the victim had been exposed to the virus.

The state encouraged people to contact health care providers or the health department after any physical contact with bats because their bites can sometimes leave only small or unnoticeable marks. If captured, bats can be tested for rabies to determine whether treatment in needed.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of rabies cases in Minnesota since 1917.

about the writer

Jeremy Olson

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Jeremy Olson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering health care for the Star Tribune. Trained in investigative and computer-assisted reporting, Olson has covered politics, social services, and family issues.

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