Mom brings rabid bat to school, lets kids touch it

[October 08, 2008]  STEVENSVILLE, Mont. (AP) -- About 90 elementary school students in Montana have started a series of rabies shots after a parent let them touch a dead bat that was later confirmed to be diseased.

The mother of two students gave presentations in five classrooms and allowed the kids to touch the dead bat last week. She offered each student who touched the bat a sanitary wipe.

The exposed students will receive six shots of anti-rabies vaccine.

Stevensville Elementary School officials say they will use liability insurance to pay up to $70,000 for the exposed children to be vaccinated. The overall cost could surpass $150,000.

The school has since set a policy requiring that anyone visiting the school obtain a visitor pass.

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Information from: KPAX-TV, http://www.kpax.com/

[Associated Press]

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