Briton dies of rabies after returning from holiday

Published on Tuesday 6 January 2009 23:16

A WOMAN who contracted rabies while abroad died in hospital last night.

Lisa McMurray had been in a critical condition in intensive care since the condition was diagnosed last month. Her death was confirmed in a statement from her family.

Ms McMurray had been in Africa a number of times in recent years but began to feel unwell several months after returning home. It is thought she contracted the virus, which is invariably fatal without early treatment, after being bitten by a rabid dog.

A statement from her brothers – her parents are dead – said: "We are devastated by the loss of our sister Lisa. We are extremely proud not only of all she achieved in life but also of the bravery with which she fought her illness.

"Her courage was inspiring and typical of the passionate and determined way in which she led her life. Her loss will leave a huge hole in all our lives."

The statement added: "We would like to take this opportunity to thank the medical staff who have treated Lisa throughout her illness. Their skill and dedication has been a great source of comfort to us and they did everything possible to care for her."

It is thought Ms McMurray – who died in Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital – may have been infected as far back as December 2006 while working in an animal sanctuary in South Africa.

She sent home e-mails at the time detailing how she had been scratched while separating two dogs.

One of the animals had to be put down after it started foaming at the mouth. Ms McMurray, who was in her 30s, worked as a communications officer at the Belfast visitor and convention bureau until early last year, before moving to a Cats Protection adoption centre on the outskirts of the city.

Last March, she returned briefly to the South African sanctuary and, some months after returning home, started to feel unwell.

Rabies is extremely rare in the UK – there have been only 23 cases since 1946, the last in 2005, and all infections were acquired abroad.

The last case of human rabies involving a dog bite in the UK was more than a century ago, in 1902.

The local health board led a multi-agency investigation into her case and insisted the risk to the wider community was negligible – there is no documented case of human-to-human transmission of rabies.

When Ms McMurray was diagnosed, it was determined her condition posed no threat to other patients in the hospital and that "all necessary steps on infection control were in place for the protection of staff".

There have been no notifications of rabies in humans in Northern Ireland since 1938.

Former Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers, who worked closely with Ms McMurray in promoting the city during his last term in office, said: "I am very upset about her death.

"She was a lovely young lady, held in the highest regard. This is a terrible tragedy for everyone who knew her."