British traveller dies from rabies in Morocco

Public Health England (PHE) has issued a reminder to travellers to avoid coming into contact with animals in countries affected by rabies, after a person in England died, following a bite from a rabid cat whilst in Morocco.

Rabies is passed on through injuries such as bites and scratches from an infected animal, there are no documented instances of direct human-to-human transmission. Rabies does not circulate in either wild or domestic animals in the UK, although some species of bats can carry a rabies-like virus. Human rabies is extremely rare in the UK.

Rabies is common in other parts of the world, especially in Asia and Africa. All travellers to rabies affected countries should avoid contact with dogs, cats and other animals wherever possible, and seek advice about the need for rabies vaccine prior to travel.

• TRAVAX has recently highlighted increased levels of rabies in Morocco
• Information and advice on rabies is available on TRAVAX (for health professionals) and fitfortravel (for the general public)
• Travel advice on Morocco can also be found on TRAVAX (for health professionals) and fitfortravel (for the general public).

Source: PHE, 12 November 2018