<p>A British woman who contracted rabies after being bitten by a dog during a recent visit to India has died, making her first victim of the disease in the country since 2002, health officials announced last night.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The unnamed woman was being treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. Another case of rabies has been reported from Leeds, where the patient sought medical help for a dog bite which occurred abroad.<br /><br />The two cases are not linked, officials said. A statement from University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We regret to announce that a patient being treated for rabies by the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and colleagues at University College Hospital died over the weekend.<br /><br />"Health officials said world-wide it was estimated that the annual number of human rabies deaths to be in excess of 55,000 with most occurring in developing countries, particularly South and South East Asia.<br /><br />Since the incidence of rabies is considered extremely rare in Britain, health officials have issued special guidance after the deceased woman was diagnosed after returning from India.<br /><br />Brian McCloskey, Director of the Health Protection Agency, said: "It is important to stress that there is no risk to the general public as a result of this case or to patients and visitors at the hospital where the patient is receiving treatment."<br /><br />He added: "Despite there being tens of thousands of rabies cases each year worldwide, there have been no documented laboratory confirmed cases of human-to-human spread. Therefore the risk to other humans or animals from a patient with rabies is considered negligible."</p>
<p>A British woman who contracted rabies after being bitten by a dog during a recent visit to India has died, making her first victim of the disease in the country since 2002, health officials announced last night.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The unnamed woman was being treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. Another case of rabies has been reported from Leeds, where the patient sought medical help for a dog bite which occurred abroad.<br /><br />The two cases are not linked, officials said. A statement from University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We regret to announce that a patient being treated for rabies by the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and colleagues at University College Hospital died over the weekend.<br /><br />"Health officials said world-wide it was estimated that the annual number of human rabies deaths to be in excess of 55,000 with most occurring in developing countries, particularly South and South East Asia.<br /><br />Since the incidence of rabies is considered extremely rare in Britain, health officials have issued special guidance after the deceased woman was diagnosed after returning from India.<br /><br />Brian McCloskey, Director of the Health Protection Agency, said: "It is important to stress that there is no risk to the general public as a result of this case or to patients and visitors at the hospital where the patient is receiving treatment."<br /><br />He added: "Despite there being tens of thousands of rabies cases each year worldwide, there have been no documented laboratory confirmed cases of human-to-human spread. Therefore the risk to other humans or animals from a patient with rabies is considered negligible."</p>