Late-Onset Rabies: A Case Report Highlighting the Importance of Prompt Medical Attention

Rabies is a virus present in more than 150 nations and territories worldwide, but it can be prevented through vaccination. Each year, tens of thousands of people die from rabies, primarily in Asia and Africa, with children under the age of 15 representing 40% of these fatalities. Up to 99% of rabies transmissions to humans occur through dog bites, making dogs the leading cause of rabies-related deaths in humans. We present a fatal case of rabies after a 5-month exposure incident. The patient, a 55-year-old Nigerian missionary from Enugu state, Nigeria presented with restlessness, hydrophobia, occasional barking gestures, abdominal discomfort and agitation. His condition was said to have progressively worsened as patients was unable to eat and drink fluids for days. His wife reported that the patient had experienced a bite from a stray dog on his right arm 5 months before presentation, for which no antirabies prophylaxis was given. The patient died on the second day of admission to the hospital (within 7 days of symptom onset).