A man has died after contracting Britain's first
case of rabies for 100 years, hospital bosses have confirmed. David McRae,
a 56-year-old conservationist from Guthrie, Angus, Scotland, failed to
recover from European Bat Lyssavirus (EBL), a type of rabies found in
several northern European countries. Mr McRae, who was licensed to handle
bats, was bitten by one of the creatures on at least one occasion.

In Europe, where the EBL strain is common, there have
only been three cases of humans catching rabies since 1977.

If you are planning on visiting countries where there
are bats, please don’t pet them. If you are bitten or scratched
by a bat, you are at risk of infection and should seek urgent medical
advice.