Six-Year-Old Treated After Rabid Bat Bite in Wisconsin
A girl in Tigerton, Wisconsin, received rabies post-exposure treatment after a bat that tested positive for the virus bit her, while her brothers killed the animal with a homemade blade.
A six-year-old girl was bitten on the left thigh by a bat that later tested positive for rabies while playing near her home in Tigerton, Wisconsin, about 60 miles west of Green Bay. Her brothers, ages 11 and 16, intervened and killed the bat using a homemade sword that the older brother had fashioned that day.
The family sought medical care within 48 hours, and the girl received the recommended series of five rabies vaccinations, which health officials say are highly effective in preventing the disease, which is almost always fatal if untreated. The Shawano-Menominee County Health Department confirmed the incident and noted that it handles roughly one rabid-bat exposure to a human each year.
"This one’s getting all the attention because a young individual was exposed to a bat that did indeed test positive, so it’s not uncommon," health officer Nick Mau said.
Mau added that the department frequently encounters patients hesitant about vaccines and other medical interventions, and emphasized its role in communicating risk and public-health recommendations from state and federal agencies.
The family expressed gratitude toward medical staff and health officials for their guidance. Despite the incident, the parents said they will continue to allow their children to play outdoors and maintain their rural lifestyle.