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12 Peruvian Children Die
From Rabid Bat Bites

TurkishPress.com
1-13-5
 
LIMA (AFP) - At least 12 Peruvian children have died of rabies after being bitten by bats in a remote Amazon province of Peru, a health official said.

The children, all of whom were under six years old, were attacked by bats between September and January in the Condorcanqui province bordering Ecuador, 860 kilometers (534 miles) northeast of Lima, said doctor Jorge Escobar, a provincial health official.

Another 2,300 people have been bitten by bats in the province, Escobar said.

The Health Ministry has designated the province a health emergency zone, launching a massive vaccination campaign in the region.

But the children who were killed were from native Aguaruna and Huambisa cultures that usually oppose modern medicine.

Health officials have to overcome the natives' religious beliefs before convincing them to take the vaccines, Escobar said.

Health officials are also trying to capture bats to spray them with anti-bacterial agents, he said.

Bat bite cases are appearing nearly every day, he said, adding that most attacks occur while people are asleep at night. Symptoms include fever, muscular pains, convulsions and death.

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