New Hampshire man bitten by rabid bat hiding in iPad case
An elderly man in New Hampshire found an unpleasant surprise lurking in his iPad case as he sat down to read the news -- a rabid bat.
Last week, 86-year-old Roy Syvertson sat down in his favorite chair to read the news on his iPad. Little did he know that between the case and the screen was an unwanted visitor, a small bat that had wedged itself into the case.
"[The iPad] was between my knees, tight as can be!" said Syvertson to WBZ-TV's reporter Kristina Rex. Syvertson was only alerted to the bats presence after he received a bite to his index finger. "Just like a bee sting. It was quite a shock," he said, about the bite.
Syvertson quickly snapped a picture of the bat before releasing it outside of his home. The next day he returned to find the bat in the same spot, dead, which alerted him that the situation was a bit more serious than first thought.
Syvertson alerted his local Fish and Game department who confirmed that the bat was rabid. Syvertson had to undergo a series of rabies shots but will make a full recovery.
"I really hope people seeing this will talk with their children and say, 'Look, if you see an animal that wants to be friends, don't touch it, don't go near it.'" Syvertson warned parents, hoping to help them avoid the same fate.
Syvertson was able to keep a positive attitude about the situation.
"I finally figured out how he got in there," he joked to the camera, "he stole my password."
Last week, 86-year-old Roy Syvertson sat down in his favorite chair to read the news on his iPad. Little did he know that between the case and the screen was an unwanted visitor, a small bat that had wedged itself into the case.
"[The iPad] was between my knees, tight as can be!" said Syvertson to WBZ-TV's reporter Kristina Rex. Syvertson was only alerted to the bats presence after he received a bite to his index finger. "Just like a bee sting. It was quite a shock," he said, about the bite.
Syvertson quickly snapped a picture of the bat before releasing it outside of his home. The next day he returned to find the bat in the same spot, dead, which alerted him that the situation was a bit more serious than first thought.
Syvertson alerted his local Fish and Game department who confirmed that the bat was rabid. Syvertson had to undergo a series of rabies shots but will make a full recovery.
"I really hope people seeing this will talk with their children and say, 'Look, if you see an animal that wants to be friends, don't touch it, don't go near it.'" Syvertson warned parents, hoping to help them avoid the same fate.
Syvertson was able to keep a positive attitude about the situation.
"I finally figured out how he got in there," he joked to the camera, "he stole my password."
Comments
Wonder when the class action lawsuits will start ?
Seriously, though, are rabies shots still delivered through the abdomen to the front of the spinal column? Because that's some seriously nasty stuff.
Once a rabies infection is established, there's no effective treatment. Though a small number of people have survived rabies, the disease is usually fatal. For that reason, if you think you've been exposed to rabies, you must get a series of shots to prevent the infection from taking hold.
So he was bitten on day, and sought help the next. As an older person, this could have gone very badly. On the upside, the treatment doesn't sound as arduous as it once was.
Although it wasn't just the delivery that was nasty, the medication wasn't too pleasant, either, and knocked you around a bit. Still, better than dying of rabies. Just.