Rabies exposure at San Jacinto High School after student handles infected bat.

Rabies exposure at San Jacinto High School after student handles infected bat.

Written by Trevor Montgomery
HemetEyeNews.Com


On Wednesday, September 23, 2015, a San Jacinto High School student who found a bat in the gymnasium at the location, suffered what was described as a “puncture wound” while handling the small creature. According to the San Jacinto Unified School District, the incident occurred while other students were watching from nearby. 

The student, whose name has not been released, reported the incident to school administrators and sought treatment soon after the incident. The exact number of students who may have had contact with the rabies infected bat has not yet been determined, and school district officials were in the process of notifying parents and school staff regarding the risk of potential exposure.

“We received the bat on Wednesday and had it tested for rabies yesterday,” Riverside County Department of Public Health infectious diseases specialist Barbara Cole told City News Service. “The results were positive. The student is not sick. We started the rabies post-exposure treatment very quickly. It’s designed to protect the person and keep them from becoming ill.”  

According to Cole, rabies can be transferred without a bite or scratch, emphasizing that transmission can occur through secretions. "The incubation period can be as short as 10 days,” Cole said. “You can’t wait for the person to become ill to start the treatment. The shots that are administered will prevent that."

Existing rabies exposure protocols require the victim to receive four vaccinations over a two-week span.

In a press release from the Riverside County Department of Public Health, it was confirmed this was the fourth reported rabies exposure caused by a rabid bat since August in Riverside County. However, in spite of those exposures, there have been no recorded cases of human rabies infection from contact with rabies infected bats in the county.

If anyone discovers a bat should refrain from having any contact with it and contact the Department of Animal Services, or the animal control agency that serves the area in which the bat has been found, for assistance with the safe disposal or relocation of the bat.

Anyone with concerns about any possible or suspected rabies exposure should contact the county’s Disease Control Unit at (951) 358-5107.


See attached press release from the Riverside County Department of Public Health:

http://www.rivcoph.org/Portals/0/Rabid%20bat%20press%20release.pdf



Contact the writer: trevor.hemeteyenews@gmail.com