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Rabid bat found on Back Bay sidewalk; somebody may have been bitten
By adamg on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 5:16pm
The Boston Public Health Commission reports a bat found on the sidewalk in front of 244 Clarendon St. yesterday afternoon has tested positive for rabies. Anybody who might have had direct contact with the bat should contact both the commission - at 617-534-5611 - and a doctor.
The commission says Animal Control officers responded to multiple calls from the neighborhood - and that it has two possible reports of somebody being bitten by the bat.
"If anyone was in direct contact with this bat yesterday, they need preventive treatment against rabies, and they should contact us and their health care provider as soon as possible," Dr. Anita Barry, director of the commission's Infectious Disease Bureau said in a statement. "Persons who did not touch the bat are not at any risk."
Rabies, spread through an infected animal's saliva, is typically fatal unless treated.
The commission is planning to post fliers at churches and businesses along Clarendon between Comm. Ave. and Newbury Street today.
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Comments
Did someone pick it up and
Did someone pick it up and try to put it in a tree?
Whew!
"Persons who did not touch the bat are not at any risk."
WHEW! Had me panicking there for a minute... not.
Yeah, except unless
a few of the yappy dogs in Back Bay got bit. Talk about ankle bites of miserable death.
Don't panic, but take it seriously
If you get the rabies virus through a barely noticeable bite or even just contact with the saliva, you NEED the shots ASAP, preferably within hours.
Beware
Beware
Exactly, put it this way -
Exactly, put it this way - the rabies vaccine for humans lasts for two to three years, and the only difference is that you have a little more time to get to the hospital. Useful if you're a day's travel away from a hospital in a developing country.
Important points though,
Rabies is almost always fatal if you don't seek treatment, and
You don't have very long at all to seek treatment.