CUYAMACA – Bat alert!
County health officials want to know if any of the 450 students who slept in the West Wind girl's cabin at Cuyamaca Outdoor School since Sept. 11 had contact with a bat.
At least one bat was seen in the cabin by three girls, and although there is no indication the bat had rabies, and there has been no report that any student had contact with any bat, officials just want to make sure.
“Any students who touched or were bitten by a bat, or woke and found a bat near them, or their sleeping bag, should call their physician,” said Wilma Wooten, deputy public health officer.
Thirteen schools have sent sixth-grade students to the outdoor school in the past seven weeks, and letters have been sent to all students who slept in the cabin. A recent inspection by the County Department of Environmental Health found no bats in the cabins, Wooten said.
The reason for the alert is simple and serious, Wooten said. If someone was bitten or had direct contact with an infected bat's saliva, there is a chance he or she could contract rabies. If rabies is not treated quickly, it is almost always fatal.
Rabies is a disease that affects only mammals, primarily wild animals including bats, skunks, foxes and raccoons.
The treatment consists of one dose of rabies immune globulin and five doses of rabies vaccine given over four weeks. It is safe and effective in preventing rabies when administered as soon as possible after exposure.
J. Harry Jones: (760) 737-7579; jharry.jones@uniontrib.com
