News: Bat problems at Lake Winnepesaukah

Posted at 5:59 PM EDT (2159 GMT)

Aug. 11th, 2004 -- On Sunday afternoon, a woman at Lake Winnepesaukah approached a park employee and handed her a bat, calling it a "fruit bat". The bat then bit the employee and was caught, although it flew off a short while after. The woman who handed the employee the bat may also have been bitten by it.

Now public health workers say both people may have been exposed to rabies, a fatal nervous disease, as a result of the bites. Rabies can be cured after a bite, but before symptoms arise. The employee is being treated, but the woman has not been identified yet. Officials urge her to contact the Catoosa County Health Department so she too can be treated for rabies.

Health officials stress that there is no danger to visitors at Lake Winnepesaukah.

For more on this story, see The Catoosa County News.