Aug 22, 2007 11:33 pm US/Central
Health Officials Warn Of Rabid Bats In City
Rogers Park Family Bitten By Rabid Bat In Apartment
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Rabid bats would not seem likely to turn up as a serious threat in a big city like Chicago. But the health department is warning that bats that carry rabies were actually found in the city. This month alone, seven rabid bats were found.
Rabies can kill, so people should avoid any contact with a bat. If you do get bitten, it's critical you get to the hospital immediately.
"By the time you get symptoms that are directly referable to rabies, you're already on your way to death," said Chicago Health Department Commissioner Terry Mason, M.D.
As CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports, one bat even sent an infant and his parents to the hospital.
A bat was the last thing Rogers Park resident Steven Hitchell expected to see in his apartment.
"All of the sudden it sprouts these gargantuan wings. I mean, immense!" Hitchell said.
But there is was last Thursday, and it was in attack mode.
"I'm holding her and I'm going, 'Look at that, tell me that's not a bat," Hitchell said. "And the thing just flew right at us."
Hitchell initially found the bat crawling on his fiancée while she slept in their bed. They immediately thought of their 5-month-old son, Phoenix. They shut themselves in his room, and then panicked when they realized he, too, had been bitten.
"When I saw his two marks… I've never hyperventilated in my life but I hyperventilated, I couldn't stand," said Jackie Mueller.
Once caught, the bat tested positive for rabies. Now all three bite victims are undergoing a series of lifesaving shots.
"Very, very painful. Excruciating. This poor guy," Hitchell said of his son, "we had to hold him down and he's just screaming. My whole family and I were just in tears."
City health officials say theirs was the seventh rabid bat found in Chicago so far this year – a much higher number than usual.
Others were found in west suburban Aurora and Elgin. Officials say it's cause for concern and stress people should not try to capture bats themselves and should seek medical attention immediately if one bites or even scratches them.
"Rabies is a 100 percent fatal disease if not approached early on," Mason said.
Health officials say another very important preventative measure is making sure pets get their rabies vaccinations - to keep them alive and ensure they don't further spread the virus.
Health officials say another very important preventative measure is making sure pets get their rabies vaccinations to keep them alive and ensure they don't further spread the virus.
If a bat flies into your house, stay back and call 311 for animal control.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
