May 28, 2006
By PAIGE HEWITT
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
An Humble toddler got the first of eight shots on Saturday, a day after a bat found in the family's garage tested positive for rabies.
Jackson Stubbs, 2, is not thought to be infected with the virus because he had no contact with the bat, said his father, Jeffrey Stubbs.
Doctors are administering the "post-exposure" shots at Texas Children's Hospital as a precautionary measure, in part because the boy plays with the family cats, which had recently spent time outdoors, Stubbs said.
Jackson will get one shot a week for seven weeks.
The cats and a relative's dog also were vaccinated.
Stubbs, who lives in the 14000 block of Horizon Falls in the Fall Creek subdivision, discovered the dead bat on the garage floor last Sunday afternoon.
At first, he thought it was a mouse, but after scooping it up with a broom he realized it was a bat, about 4 inches from head to tail, the wings curled around its body. He put it in the trash.
But he contacted county official the next morning, after thinking about the rabies case that claimed the life of Humble High School student Zachary Jones earlier this month.
Per their instruction, he put the bat on ice so it could be tested for rabies. Friday, the test indicated the bat was rabid.
14 cases reported
The incident brings to at least 14 the number of confirmed rabies cases in Harris County so far this year.
All but one of the case were in bats. The exception was Jones, said Dr. Paul Grunenwald, one of three county veterinarians.
Grunenwald, who specializes in infectious disease control, said that because a few of the cases have been in the Humble area, officials are "watching it very closely."
"We're not calling this any kind of epizootic (a significant increase in disease among animals) about rabies in the northwest part of the county yet," Grunenwald said. " ... I don't want to say, 'Don't be concerned.' I really would like people to be cautious."
He also emphasized that cases in the northwest area could be simply attributed to the cyclical "up and down" nature of rabies.
"It could just be on a high, an upswing," he said.
'Looking up more'
And contrary to what many may think, bats are a normal part of the Houston ecosystem.
Quote:And contrary to what many may think, bats are a normal part of the Houston ecosystem.
I used to work for one while I was in the Galveston area. Give him 3 Dos Eqqis and he turned into Mario Andretti.
As a contractor, years back, I had occasion to clean out nests of bats from chimneys. Frankly, I don't recall the process we used anymore. Pathetic.
