A woman has died of rabies after drinking contaminated raw milk in a shockingly rare case.
Earlier this year, the unnamed woman from India drank unpasteurized milk from a cow that she was unaware had been infected with rabies, a virus usually spread through animal bites that is almost always fatal.
Local media reports suggest the cow had been bitten by a stray dog with rabies, causing it to become infected.
She became ill several days later with symptoms that may have included fever, agitation, hallucinations, twitching, and a fear of drinking water.
Her family rushed her to several hospitals, who refused to treat her due to the severity of her condition, according to local reports.
The woman died at home shortly after.
There is no documented evidence suggesting rabies can spread via dairy or meat from infected animals, and health authorities maintain while drinking raw milk from a rabid animal could potentially pose a risk, it is not a confirmed method of transmission.
However, the CDC urges pasteurization to kill any potential viruses, including rabies, being shed in cow’s milk.
A woman in India died of rabies after drinking raw milk from an infected cow. Pictured are cows at the USDA’s National Animal Disease Center research facility in Ames, Iowa (file photo)
Rabies is deadly virus that is transmitted through saliva from infected animals like dogs, racoons, bats, coyotes and foxes. Most people get it from an animal bite or scratch.
The disease moves along the spinal cord and travels to the brain, causing inflammation.
Early symptoms in humans include fever, headache, agitation, confusion and vomiting.
In later stages, patients suffer agitation, restlessness, hallucinations, seizures and twitching, excessive salivation, and a fear of water or air blowing in their face.
The disease is almost always fatal once symptoms start. Only 20 cases of humans surviving rabies have been recorded in medical literature worldwide.
Around 5,000 animal cases of rabies are reported each year, and about 60,000 Americans seek care for potential exposure.
Fewer than 10 Americans die from rabies every year, according to the CDC.
India, however, experiences 18,000 to 20,000 human rabies deaths per year, the majority of which are in children under age 15. India accounts for over one-third of the world’s rabies deaths.
The only way to cure or prevent rabies is with a series of four to five vaccines, which must be given as soon as possible after someone believes or confirms to have been exposed.
Rabies is a fatal viral disease that affects the central nervous system. Once symptoms appear, it is almost always fatal
The above map shows which animals are most likely to be infected with rabies in certain areas
Though both the CDC and World Health Organization state raw milk is not a confirmed method of rabies transmission, the drink has been blamed for rare cases in the US.
In 1996, as cow in Massachusetts was diagnosed with rabies after being bitten by a rabid raccoon.
Though the cow was euthanized, 14 people drank raw milk from it after it was infected and fell ill. All of them were vaccinated and survived.
Just two years later, 66 people drank raw milk from another cow infected with rabies through a raccoon bite. They all survived after being vaccinated.
Though it’s still unclear if rabies can spread through raw milk, pathogens like Salmonella, E coli, and listeria have all been found in the drink.
The CDC recommends all milk be pasteurized, which involves exposing it to mild heat, to kill any potential pathogens.
