In Tigerton, Wisconsin, a rabid bat bit a 6-year-old girl, after which her brothers killed the animal using a homemade sword inspired by the movie Braveheart. The incident occurred in the backyard of the victim’s home.
Little Cecilia (“Cici”) Cael was playing in a tree in the yard when the rabid bat attacked her, biting her on the left thigh. Alerted by the girl’s screams, her 11 and 16-year-old brothers rushed out and killed the bat.
Laboratory testing subsequently confirmed that the bat was infected with the rabies virus. Although the Cael family is generally opposed to mandatory immunization, given the severity of the threat, they agreed to begin the life-saving post-exposure rabies vaccination course for the child less than 48 hours after the incident.
Nick Mau, an official representative of the local health department, confirmed the incident and noted that the region averages about one such bat-to-human attack per year. He added that the agency frequently works with vaccine-skeptic patients; however, in this case, medical personnel thoroughly explained the risks to the family. Left untreated, rabies is nearly 100% fatal, but timely prophylactic vaccination (a course consisting of 5 injections) reduces the risk of mortality practically to zero.
According to the girl’s mother, Elizabeth Cael, despite the painful injections, Cici is doing well, continues to play outside, and has not been deterred by the incident. The parents, who homeschool their eight children and maintain a lifestyle deeply connected to nature, stated that despite the threat of bats, they will not restrict their children from actively interacting with the environment.
