Minas Gerais confirmed the third case of human rabies in children in less than April. Two children died. Infections were identified in the rural area of Vale do Mucuri, in the city of Bertópolis.
The first case was identified in a 12-year-old boy, who died. A 12-year-old girl was also infected and is hospitalized in the ICU in Belo Horizonte, and a five-year-old child died on the 17th.
The first two reports are linked to a bat bite.
Now, the Minas Gerais State Secretary of Health (SES-MG) is investigating a fourth suspected case, in an 11-year-old girl – who is hospitalized and awaiting test results.
In a note, the Ministry of Health stated that, in 2022, two cases of human rabies were reported, both in the municipality of Bertópolis. The two cases are indigenous (Maxacali) and with a history of exposure to bats.
According to SES-MG, this year 2022, the animal, canine and feline rabies vaccination campaign will be carried out in August and September by the municipalities of Minas Gerais.
The objective of the animal rabies vaccination campaign is to establish an immunological barrier capable of interrupting the transmission of rabies in the canine and feline populations of a community, and consequently preventing the involvement of the human population by the rabies virus.
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Rabies is an acute infectious disease caused by a virus that affects mammals, including humans. Transmission occurs from contact with the virus through the saliva of the infected animal, which penetrates the body through the skin or mucous membranes, after a bite or scratch.
The disease is potentially fatal, as it involves the central nervous system, causing death after a short course.
Symptoms of human rabies include behavior change, restlessness, sleep disturbance, changes in sensation, burning, tingling, and pain at the bite site. The evolution of the disease can lead to hallucinations, accompanied by fever.
*With information from Lucas Rocha, from CNN
Source: CNN Brasil
