New Zealand has recorded its first-ever case of rabies, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.
The case was an overseas traveller who died from the disease last week.
The disease was contracted overseas and the person was first diagnosed in Whangarei Hospital in early March.
The patient was then managed with full infection control measures and transported to Auckland City Hospital.
The Health Ministry said the person posed no health risk to anyone while in New Zealand.
Director of Public Health Dr Nick Jones said person-to-person transmission of rabies is "extremely rare" and "almost unknown", so there is no risk.
Rabies is usually caught from the saliva of an infected animal when a person is bitten. If the person does not seek treatment between being bitten and the development of symptoms, then rabies is usually fatal.
Laboratory results confirmed this is the first case of rabies in New Zealand.
"New Zealand does not have rabies in its animal or human populations, and this case does not change our rabies-free status," the ministry said.
The National Public Health Service will not be releasing any further details of the case to protect their identity.
"Travellers should be aware, however, that there are thousands of rabies cases reported in humans around the world each year, including a number of countries in our part of the world," Dr Jones said.
Rabies vaccination is recommended for New Zealanders travelling to countries where rabies is common, especially if travelling to rural areas, likely to be in contact with animals or if staying for longer than a month.
All travellers should avoid contact with animals in countries with rabies, especially dogs, and should seek treatment as soon as possible if bitten by an animal where there is rabies.
