title: Human Rabies - Puerto Rico, 2015.
abstract: On December 1, 2015, the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDH) was notified by a local hospital of a suspected human rabies case. The previous evening, a Puerto Rican man aged 54 years arrived at the emergency department with fever, difficulty swallowing, hand paresthesia, cough, and chest tightness. The next morning the patient left against medical advice but returned to the emergency department in the afternoon with worsening symptoms. The patient's wife reported that he had been bitten by a mongoose during the first week of October, but had not sought care for the bite. While being transferred to the intensive care unit, the patient went into cardiac arrest and died. On December 3, rabies was confirmed from specimens collected during autopsy. PRDH conducted an initial rapid risk assessment, and five family members were started on rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP).
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Styczynski
authors.forename: Cuc
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dirlikov
authors.forename: María Ramos
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zapata
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ryff
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Anibal Cruz
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Marrielle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mayshack
authors.forename: Laura Castro
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Condori
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ellison
authors.forename: Lillian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Orciari
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yager
authors.forename: Rafael González
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Peña
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sanabria
authors.forename: Julio Cádiz
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Velázquez
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Brenda Rivera
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: García
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings; D016358:Contact Tracing; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D008988:Herpestidae / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056990:Post-Exposure Prophylaxis; D011647:Puerto Rico; D011818:Rabies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*