Boy, three, dies of rabies

A three-year-old French boy has died of rabies thought to have been contracted during a trip to Gabon in west Africa, hospital authorities in Lyon said.

The boy, whose name was not released, first showed symptoms of the disease a week ago.

Rabies is untreatable once it sets in, usually after a one- to three-month incubation period, said Daniel Floret, a director of emergency services at Lyon’s Edouard-Herriot hospital.

The boy is thought to have contracted the illness this summer in Gabon, health officials said. As a precaution, authorities have vaccinated 58 children and staff at his school.