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Vampire Bat Rabies Case Confirmed, CDC Reports
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 15, 2011
Modified Aug 15, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 15, 2011
Modified Aug 15, 2011
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Tonight, just before you drift off to sleep, as the breeze from your fan makes the sheets gently kiss your weary cheeks, that slight tingling sensation on your foot that you thought was restless leg syndrome may in fact be a VAMPIRE BAT.
In a release, the CDC confirmed the first human case of rabies in the US due to a bite from a vampire bat. Last year a 19 year-old-man was bit by a vampire bat on his heel while he was sleeping in Michoacán, Mexico, and didn't seek treatment. 10 days later, while working at a sugarcane plantation in Louisiana he developed fatigue, pain in his left shoulder, and left-hand numbness, and a few weeks later was taken off life support.
The CDC notes that this particular case "highlights the growing importance of bats in public health," because although vampire bats are only found in Latin America, "research suggests that the range of these bats might be expanding as a result of changes in climate." Vampire bat rabies has become the leading cause of human rabies in Latin America in the last decade, and last year Peru experienced a vampire bat rabies epidemic.
Vampire bats need to feed on blood every few days to stay alive, and use heat sensors to "pinpoint areas where blood flows near the surface in their prey," which is usually livestock or other domesticated animals.
Tagged
bats
cdc
diseases
fear
latin america
Peru
rabies
vampire bats
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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