A Case Study on Unreported First Probable Human Rabies Following Honey Badger in Somalia

Abstract

Ubah Mumin Ali Osman,1 Selim Turfan,1 Mohamed Farah Yusuf Mohamud1– 3 1Emergency Department, Mogadishu Somali Turkey Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 2Faculty of Medicine, Mogadishu University, Mogadishu, Somalia; 3Tayo Institute for Health and Development, Mogadishu, SomaliaCorrespondence: Mohamed Farah Yusuf Mohamud, Emergency Department, Mogadishu Somali Turkey Training and Research Hospital, Digfer Street, Hodan District, Mogadishu, Somalia, Tel [phone], Email [email protected]: Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by a virus. It is an acute progressive neurological disease that affects people in many parts of the world, especially in low income countries including Somalia and it is always lethal once symptoms appear without immediate post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Nearly half of rabies cases occur in children. This case report presents a tragic and unique clinical scenario involving a 14-year-old boy from a rural area in Somalia who presented to our tertiary hospital after a bite from a honey badger. The patient’s younger sister, who was also bitten by the same honey badger, sadly succumbed to the disease two weeks prior. This report aims to contribute to the medical literature by highlighting the challenges faced in diagnosing and managing rabies in resource-constrained settings.Keywords: rabies, honey badger, post-exposure prophylaxis, zoonotic disease, Somalia

Keywords

• rabies
• honey-badger
• post-exposure prophylaxis
• zoonotic disease
• somalia;