Indiana Girl Dies of Rabies

[L Roebuck]

Indiana Girl Dies Of Rabies After Bat Bite

A 10-year-old girl who was diagnosed with Indiana's first confirmed case of rabies in nearly half a century died Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Shannon Carroll had been bitten by a rabid bat in June and had been hospitalized since early October, said Riley Hospital for Children spokeswoman Jo Ann Klooz said.

More than 30 of the girl's relatives, friends and classmates were offered injections to prevent the spread of the disease. Some parents whose children attend the girl's school in Bourbon, 25 miles south of South Bend, worried about possible exposure since rabies can stay dormant for more than a year.

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted to humans and other animals through saliva, usually in a bite. It attacks the brain and nervous system and typically leads to death once symptoms appear. Human-to-human transmission of rabies is possible through direct contact with saliva, health officials said.

State records show Indiana's last human rabies case was in 1959.

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[Brian Roebuck]

It is too bad that most children that come in contact with bats happens when sick bats become too weak to escape capture. A simple bite can become lethal if the animals has rabies. this also happens with other wild mammals and I am sure that bats are no better or worse in contracting rabies than other mammals.

We all need to educate our children to leave wild animals alone - especially sick ones. The risks are simply too great for all of us.