Boy Bitten By Rabid Bat

wsjm949depend-2016-103
wsjm949depend-2016-103

Two Grand Junction boys are being treated with preventative rabies shots after one of them was bitten by a rabid bat in his sleep. MLive reports Brian Cripps was bitten on his finger around 5 a.m. on October 3 while in bed, waking up to find the bat still on his finger. The 11-year-old grabbed the bat, woke up his younger brother, and then got the attention of their parents. Cripps’ 10-year-old brother is also being treated in case he was bitten without realizing it. The boys’ mother says they have occasionally had bats inside their home during their six years there, and normally have been able to chase them out if the family’s cats hadn’t killed them first. So far this year, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says 33 bats in the state have tested positive for rabies along with four skunks.