Girl Brings Rabid Bat To School

One adult and at least three children are receiving rabies shots after touching a rabid bat an eighth-grader brought to Centralia Middle School.

Exposure to the bat apparently was limited, Lewis County health officials said Monday.

“We’re very lucky that they didn’t pass it around the classroom,” county Health Officer Tom Bell said.

The girl brought the bat to school Thursday after catching it at home.

“We don’t know why she brought it (to school). It wasn’t part of a class project,” Principal Neal Kirby said.

The girl had been attempting to feed the bat hummingbird food and insects, and called a veterinarian for advice. The vet told the girl that the bat should be tested for rabies.

A state epidemiologist confirmed the bat was rabid, and alerted local health officials.

A 5-year-old Centralia girl died of rabies two years ago after apparently being bitten by a bat.

Health officials are reminding people not to catch bats as pets.