Girl, 6, bit by rabid bat while playing outside home

Key Points:

• A 6-year-old girl, Cecilia "Cece" Kale, was bitten by a rabid bat while playing outside her home in Tigerton, Wisconsin; her brothers used a homemade "Braveheart"-inspired sword to kill the bat.
• The bat tested positive for rabies, prompting Cece to receive a life-saving 5-dose vaccine regimen within 48 hours, which is nearly 100% effective in preventing death from the virus.
• This is the first confirmed rabies case in Shawano-Menominee County this year, with local health officials reminding the community that rabies is present in wildlife and urging pet vaccinations and caution around wild animals.
• Rabies symptoms start with irritability, headache, fever, and itching at the exposure site, progressing to severe neurological issues and death if untreated; once symptoms appear, the disease is untreatable.
• Despite the frightening incident, Cece remains unshaken, with her mother praising her bravery and strong constitution following the attack.