A MAN has died after contracting rabies from a monkey bite.
The 56-year-old man was bitten by a marmoset monkey in July and passed away on August 27 after the disease left him with fatal inflammation in his brain and spinal cord.
Rabies is a rare but serious infection that's usually caused by being bitten or scratched by an infected animal.
Vaccination and treatment can prevent it, but it's almost always fatal once symptoms appear, according to the NHS.
Rabies is very rare in the UK and more common in parts of Asia, Africa and Central and South America.
The 56-year-old man who passed away contracted the disease in a rural area of Brazil, local media G1 reported.
The man was bitten by a marmoset on July 15 in Piripiri a municipality in northeastern Brazil.
But he only sought medical care weeks later, after developing encephalitis - inflammation of the brain that's triggered by the rabies virus.
According the Piauí's State Department of Health, the 56-year-old transferred to a hospital in Teresina on August 12.
The victim reportedly began to experience symptoms such as vomiting, drooling and fainting on August 6.
He went to the Chagas Rodrigues Regional Hospital in Piripiri on August 12, when he was transferred to a hospital in the state capital of Teresina.
He passed away on August 27 at the Natan Portella Institute for Tropical Diseases.
Cases of rabies were last seen in the state of Piauí over a decade ago in 2013, G1 reported.
At the request of Brazil's Ministry of Health, health officials in Piripiri were asked to survey rabies vaccination coverage of dogs and cats in the region.
It comes after a rare outbreak of rabies was declared in seals in Cape Town in July.
Eleven of the animals tested positive for the deadly bug, after seals with "cherry-red, evil eyes" were seen viciously attacking beach dwellers in Cape Town.
Scientists called on anyone injured by a seal along South Africa's coastline to see a doctor urgently, as quick treatment and vaccination within 24 hours of a bite are essential for stopping the disease from becoming fatal.
Health officials in Bali have also raised the alarm of the deadly bug.
The island has seen high numbers of rabies cases over the past year, with four people dying following dog bites, The Bali Sun reported.
As of August, there were 34,809 bite cases recorded in Bali Province, with 263 positive rabies cases and four deaths.
Meanwhile, least 38 people - most of them children - have died in a severe outbreak of the "rabies-like" Chandipura virus in India.
Initial symptoms can look a lot like the flu, but they can rapidly develop over just 24 hours to encephalitis, coma and death.