Multiple children who attend Asotin-Anatone School District in eastern Washington are receiving post-exposure prophylaxis treatment after being exposed to a bat that tested positive for rabies.
The bat was found on Wednesday, when several children were confirmed to have been exposed. Some children touched the bat directly, while others “poked it with sticks” said Brady Woodbury, administrator for the Asotin County Health District.
“We consulted with our doctor and the Department of Health,” Woodbury said. “Because of the close proximity, they were in close enough contact that basically they were touching the bat.”
The bat was taken to be euthanized and tested for rabies, and a positive test result was confirmed on Thursday. Fewer than 20 children were known to be exposed as of Friday afternoon, though Woodbury said that number could change.
“ We've been getting more calls, and that number has actually increased just because this is such a serious thing,” he said. “We want to take every caution.”
None of the children have shown signs of rabies, Woodbury said, which is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms appear.
Dale Bonfield, superintendent at Asotin-Anatone School District, said many of the children exposed were between second and sixth grade.
The rabid bat was found across the street from the K-12 school at the local community center, he said, which the school uses for physical education classes which children sometimes visit during lunchtime.
“ I've been in Asotin for 20 years, and we've always had bats around the school,” he said. “ It really has been the situation where they're just out of the way, and the kids can see 'em, they don't really mess with them. We've never had any incidents that I'm aware of until this one this year.”
Bonfield said the school has contacted parents, and that teachers are talking to their classes about safety protocols if they encounter a bat. The school plans to alert the health district should they find bats flying around during the day or acting unusually, Bonfield said.
Rabies, a viral infection, is spread through a bite or scratch from an animal or contact with the animal’s saliva. Because bat bites and scratches are very small and may go unnoticed, any bare-handed contact with a bat should be treated as an exposure.
According to the Asotin County Health District, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for rabies requires a series of four vaccinations given over 14 days, plus a dose of rabies immunoglobulin with the first vaccination to boost the body’s immune response.
The incubation period of rabies can range from several days to several months.
Nationally and statewide, there has been a significant increase in reports of rabid bats and other animals this year, according to the Asotin County Health District. This is the first rabid bat reported in Asotin County since 2010.
