Patient dies of rabies in first EVER case in country after fighting disease in hospital

A patient has died from rabies in what is said to be the first-ever case in New Zealand.

New Zealand's Ministry of Health confirmed an overseas traveller died from the disease last week in Auckland City Hospital.

It is believed that the person contracted the illness overseas and was diagnosed and treated in New Zealand.

The patient had been admitted into hospital in early March and was managed by full infection control measures.

The minister assured person-to-person transmission of rabies is rare and therefore there is no risk to members of the public.

In a statement, New Zealand health officials said: "Sadly, the overseas traveller died from the disease last week, but this person posed no health risk to any member of the public while in New Zealand.

"The disease was contracted overseas and then the person was diagnosed in New Zealand.

It is believed the person contracted the illness overseas (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

"The person was notified as having suspected rabies when first admitted to hospital in early March so was managed with full infection control measures while at Auckland City Hospital and at Whangārei Hospital where they were first diagnosed."

The Director of Public Health in New Zealand, Dr Nick Jones, has warned that travellers should be aware that thousands of rabies cases are reported in the world every year.

He said that cases frequently come from their part of the world.

Rabies is usually caught when a person is bitten by an infected animal and passes through saliva.

The overseas traveller died from the disease last week in Auckland City Hospital (Getty Images)

People are advised if they do not seek treatment after getting affected, the illness can become fatal.

Those living in New Zealand have been encouraged to get rabies vaccinations if travelling the countries where the disease is highly common.

Earlier this year, an eight-year-old girl bitten by a bat died of rabies.

The child, from Mexico, has lost her brother after he was also attacked from the bat.

Those living in New Zealand have been encouraged to get rabies vaccinations (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Their two-year-old sister was also said to have been bitten by the same mammal in the back but was released after nine days of treatment.

Rabies is a very serious condition which infects your brain and nerves.

The condition is found across the world, particularly in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.