The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and Central District Health are reporting the first human case of rabies and subsequent death reported in Idaho since 1978.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the diagnosis after testing at its lab.
In late August, a Boise County man encountered a bat on his property.
It flew near him and became caught in his clothing, but he did not believe he had been bitten or scratched. In October, he fell ill and was hospitalized in Boise, where he subsequently died.
It was not until after the investigation into his illness began that the bat exposure was discovered.
While cases of human rabies in the United States are rare, rabies exposures are common, with an estimated 60,000 Americans receiving the post-exposure vaccination series each year.
Fourteen bats have tested positive for rabies in Idaho so far this year.
