Rabid bat encountered at Calabasas High School





Students who cared for sick bats at Calabasas High Schools are now receiving anti-rabies vaccinations as a precaution, county health officials said.

One of the bats was said to have died from rabies.

According to Vince Jantz, the high school’s principal, a student from Agoura High brought the caged bat to the Calabasas campus on July 26 and shared it with students in the Cyber High independent study class.

“The situation did not seem memorable at the time, nor did it present any danger to anyone,” Jantz said. “At some point the young man brought the bat to a veterinarian who performed some tests, the results of which caused the veterinarian to think it prudent to contact the health department.”

After the bat was found to have died from rabies, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Las Virgenes Unified School District mailed letters to parents requesting that any child who was in contact with a bat during the summer session at Calabasas High, or knew of anyone who was exposed to a bat, should contact the county’s communicable disease physician and their own doctor.

“Rabies is an infectious viral disease that affects the nervous system of humans and other mammals,” Director of Public Health Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding said in the letter. If not treated, rabies can be fatal.

Although people generally get rabies after a bite from a rabid animal, on rare occasions a person can be infected if the saliva from a rabid animal touches their eyes, nose, mouth or wound, Fielding said.

“Since bats have small teeth that may leave marks that are not easily seen, the virus may be transmitted even in the absence of an obvious bite wound,” he said.

Jantz said a telephone message about the bats also was sent to parents.

The Public Health Department’s Guide to Bats and Rabies suggests teaching kids the following slogan about touching wild animals: “Love your own, leave other animals alone.”

If bitten by a wild animal, wash the wound and seek medical treatment immediately, officials say. Dogs, cats and ferrets should be periodically vaccinated.

Anyone with information about sick bats should call (213) 2407941 during regular business hours, or (213) 974-1234 after 5 p.m. or on weekends.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *