UK News 20-11-2002 Bat Handler who: Naturalist David McRae what: Critically ill in hospital after contracting rare form of rabies where: Ninewells Hospital, DUNDEE when: Yesterday snippet: A man was critically ill in hospital with suspected rabies last night, reports The Guardian, "in what looks likely to be the first time the disease has been acquired by a human in Britain for a century." The victim, named by The Scotsman as 56 year-old artist and naturalist David McRae "was `very critically ill` last night in Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital, his partner at his bedside. It is feared that Mr McRae - a renowned climber, wildlife expert and artist - may have no more than a month to live. " The Times adds that test results "are expected to confirm today Mr McRae has a rare strain of European Bat Lyssavirus, known as EBL or bat rabies, which has been detected in three people in continental Europe in the past 25 years, all of whom died." Last night, "as the hitherto unimaginable possibility that bat colonies throughout Britain may be carriers of the disease became a stark reality," continues The Scotsman report, "health experts sought to reassure the public that there was no general health risk. But questions are already being asked why a licensed volunteer bat worker, with links to Scottish Natural Heritage, came to be infected." David Warrell, director of the Centre for Tropical Medicine at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, said that the patient "had been offered pre-exposure prophylaxis when he took the job, and had refused it." He also refused a post-exposure vaccine when he was bitten six months ago, added Mr Warrell. [... more]

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