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8 get anti-rabies shots after student brings bat to school

Published  June 12, 2015 1:54pm PDT
Associated Press

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — Eight people in Montana are receiving treatment to prevent rabies after a middle school student found a bat at home and brought it to science class in a bag.

State officials say the student's family of seven and a classmate who handled the bat Tuesday at North Middle School in Great Falls have started a series of shots to ward off the potentially deadly disease.

The school district is also notifying up to 150 families of students believed to have been exposed to the bat while they were on the bus or in the classroom.

State epidemiologist Elton Mosher says the bat was found in the basement of a home. The student released it before it could be tested.

He says anyone who touched it should contact health officials immediately.