A report of a positive animal rabies case on Oct. 13 is no cause for alarm, said Joe Lara, environmental health manager for New Braunfels.
“We have a few cases every year,” Lara said. “So it’s fairly routine, especially considering that we live within 40 minutes of one of the largest harboring sites for bats in the world.”
A father killed a bat after his young son touched the animal at a Comal Park softball field around 2 p.m. Oct. 13.
The child was not bitten, but was started on the five-shot intramuscular rabies vaccination as a precaution. The dead animal was sent to a lab in Austin, where it was confirmed to have rabies on Oct. 21.
“Whenever a potential exposure takes place, we notify the victim, or the parents of the victim in this case, to seek medical attention,” Lara said. “In this case, it was positive.”
Lara said nocturnal animals seen during the day should be given a “wide berth,” as that is an indication of abnormal activity caused by a neurological illness like rabies.
A bite is not always necessary to transmit rabies. An open wound, which children often have as a result of their daily activities, might provide the means to contract rabies.
Lara said it was “highly unlikely” that a person would contract rabies if started on the shots immediately following contact.
The case is the third confirmed rabies case for Comal County this year.
