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Child Picks Up Rabid Bat, Brings It Into Elementary School

YUBA CITY (CBS13) —  An elementary school student was exposed to rabies Monday after a child found a bat and took it to their school in Yuba City.

According to the Sutter Animal Services Authority, a live bat was found at the 400 block of Humphrey Road in Sutter County Monday when a child took it to Franklin Elementary School.

Staff from Sutter Animal Services said they responded to the school and collected the bat. The bat was submitted for rabies testing through the Sutter County Health Department and it was found to be rabid.

The both the child's parents and school officials were contacted with specific instructions from the Sutter County Health Department on how to proceed after the exposure to rabies.

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According to the Center for Disease Control, rabies infects the central nervous system that ultimately causes disease in the brain and death.

"The early symptoms of rabies in people are similar to that of many other illnesses, including fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort. As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation (increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of these symptoms," the CDC website says.

The CDC says rabies can be transmitted to a human from the bite of a rabid animal, or when the animal's saliva comes in contact with a person's mouth, eyes or an open wound. But, people should keep in mind that some bats have extremely small teeth that can puncture human skin without them noticing. There have even been cases of rabies where a person was infected without knowing they had been bitten by a rabid bat.

RELATED: Rabies Warning in Placer County After Children Touch Infected Bat

The CDC also warns on their website "Avoid contact with wild animals. Put screens on all windows and use chimney caps. Place draft-guards beneath doors to ensure that all doors to the outside close tightly. Do not keep doors or unscreened windows open, especially if people are sleeping. Evacuate any room with a live bat and close the door".

Contact Sutter Animal Services Authority (SASA) at: 530-822-7375 immediately if there is a live or dead bat inside or outside your home. Never touch bats, especially if appearing sick or dead. Keep your pets' rabies vaccinations up-to-date.

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