Rabid bat hiding in iPad case bites man
A New Hampshire was bitten by a bat inside his home last week.
The small creature had been hiding inside his iPad case.
"I felt something. It felt like a little bee sting," 86-year-old Roy Syvertson told CNN.
"And I looked and the bat was coming out of here ... between the cover and the back of the pad."
Roy pressed down on the cover to keep the bat from flying away and put it outside.
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When he went to check on it later that night, he saw that it had died.
"Then I knew I might have a problem," he told CNN.
Fearing the bat had rabies, Roy called authorities, who told him to go to the hospital immediately for treatment.
Roy says he feels fine -- but he's still not sure how the bat got into his house.
WHAT IS RABIES?
Rabies is a viral disease that can infect most mammals.
It is usually transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. It infects the central nervous system and when left untreated, the death rate is nearly 100 percent.
Symptoms include:
Fever
Muscle pain
Weakness
Confusion
Headache
Rabid animals usually act in an aggressive manner, may be foaming at the mouth, and display little fear of humans.
According to the Ministry of Health, the last known case of rabies infection in a human occurred in 1967 in the Ottawa area.
RABIES PREVENTION
The best way to protect pets against rabies is to keep them up-to-date on rabies vaccinations.
Avoid contact with wild animals and supervise pets when outside.
If you or a pet is bitten by an animal that may have rabies, wash the wound immediately with soap and water and consult a medical professional immediately.
Humans who have been exposed to rabies can be treated with immune globulin and four doses of a rabies vaccine over a two-week period, provided treatment is started as soon as possible.
In the past, post-exposure treatment consisted of painful injections in the stomach. Today's vaccines are less painful and can be injected into the arm and thigh.
