Dead bat had rabies virus

TWO children are being vaccinated after the body of a bat they were playing with was found to be carrying rabies.

The Pasteur Institute in Paris has confirmed that the bat, found in the commune of La Bridoire, Savoie, was carrying the virus.

The two children are being given preventative vaccinations, however a spokesman for the prefecture said: “They are in normal health and there is nothing to cause any worry.”

It is the first time rabies has been found in a bat in the Savoie and only the 58th case detected in France since 1989.

The Savoie prefecture has reminded people not to touch the bodies of injured or dead bats, and not to try and capture them. Call your local DDCSPP ( Direction départementale de la cohésion sociale et de la protection des populations ) for help.

Photo: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region