Rabies patient dies in Japan

Jun 16 (NHK) - A man who was confirmed with rabies, the first case in Japan in 14 years, has died of the disease.

Health officials in the city of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, say the man in his 30s experienced symptoms of the virus such as ankle pain, stomachache and vomiting when he visited a medical institution in the city last month.

The infection was confirmed by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases after it conducted a tissue analysis. He had been hospitalized in Toyohashi.

City officials say the man, who was a foreign national, came to Japan from the Philippines in February.

Authorities say he is likely to have contracted the disease in the Philippines because his family says he was bitten on the ankle by a dog around September last year.

Japan's health ministry says rabies is transmitted by bites from dogs or cats infected with the virus and is not usually passed between people.

Rabies can be prevented if people are vaccinated right after they are infected. But the disease is almost 100 percent fatal once symptoms appear, as there is no effective treatment.

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