Rabies case in New South Wales, 1990: public health aspects.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the source of rabies in the recent case in New South Wales, and to determine the need for post-exposure rabies prophylaxis among contacts of the patient.


METHODS
Information was obtained by face-to-face interview of the dead girl's family and face-to-face and telephone interviews using a questionnaire of health care workers. Other information was gathered from overseas and local sources through telephone and facsimile contact.


RESULTS
The girl had migrated from Vietnam in 1984 to Hong Kong, and from there in 1986 to Australia. No evidence of contact with a rabid animal in Australia or Hong Kong was found. There had also been no organ donations from the girl. Four health care workers were given post-exposure rabies prophylaxis.


CONCLUSIONS
Because of the lack of evidence of animal contact in Australia and the fact that extremely long incubation periods for rabies have been documented, it was considered that the most likely source of the rabies virus was North Vietnam. Genetic studies of the virus also supported a South-East Asian source. Nevertheless the presumed incubation period--at least six years and four months--is one of the longest recorded.
Bek
M D
MD
Epidemiology and Health Services Branch, NSW Health Department, North Sydney.
Smith
W T
WT
Levy
M H
MH
Sullivan
E
E
Rubin
G L
GL
D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D016358:Contact Tracing; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009517:New South Wales; D011634:Public Health; D011818:Rabies / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D011819:Rabies Vaccines; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014611:Vaccination; D014744:Vietnam / Q000208:ethnology
D011819:Rabies Vaccines