SAN BENITO — a three-inch long brown bat found at San Benito High School on Thursday tested positive for rabies, becoming the first such case in 20 years at the San Benito Animal Hospital, veterinarian Dr. Allison Tewell-Merritt said.
The San Benito school superintendent Antonio Limon said the bat was found Thursday on a wall outside the gym. the city’s animal control was called to catch the creature.
“no student ever touched the bat, and students were warned via the PA system and posters throughout the school not to come in contact with any bat,” Limon said. a second bat was also found, but tested negative for rabies, Limon said.
“Alert school personnel immediately notified the school’s dispatch office and contacted animal control to make arrangements to have it properly disposed of,” San Benito High School Principal Delia Weaver said in a press release. “All personnel are taking extra precautionary measures and being extra vigilant with our school facility and its surroundings.”
Tewell-Merritt said animal control euthanized the bat and brought it to the animal hospital, which then sent it to Austin to be tested for rabies. That test was positive.
“This is very rare; this is a big deal,” Tewell-Merritt said. “we don’t have many animals that test positive at all for rabies.
“This is deadly to humans. only one human in history that has been symptomatic with rabies has lived.”
Tewell-Merritt went on to explain that skunks, raccoons, bats, and foxes carry rabies. if one of those animals bites a dog or a cat, and that animal bites a human, if that human does not seek medical treatment, they will die.
It takes about one month after a human is bitten for that person to start showing symptoms, Tewell-Merritt said.
The way to find out if a dog or cat has rabies is to either euthanize the animal and have it tested, or quarantine the animal for 10 days to see if symptoms appear, Tewell-Merritt said.
“if anyone is ever bitten by an animal and they are unsure of its rabies status, they should contact their local physician,” Tewell-Merritt said.
San Benito passed an ordinance that requires dogs and cats to receive rabies vaccinations every year, Tewell-Merritt said. Rabies testing requirements vary by city and county, and can range from one to a three-year vaccination requirement.