A runner who participated in the Del Mar Mud Run last weekend is undergoing rabies tests for rabies after coming into contact with a bat during the race, San Diego County health officials said Friday.
According to the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), the runner from New York reported that a bat had landed on him during the run. The bat was captured and turned over to county officials for rabies testing and the County Public Health Lab confirmed the bat was infected with rabies.
HHSA officials are concerned that the runner and other people at the Del Mar Mud Run, which took place on Oct. 4 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, may have directly handled the rabid bat.
“We want to make absolutely sure that no participants or observers were potentially exposed to this deadly disease,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., county public health officer.
The health department at first did not know the identity of the person who may have been exposed, so it released a media alert in an effort to reach the runner. Health officials also worked with the race's organizer VAVi.
"Safety is our number 1 priority at VAVi when producing events locally and across the country," said Keith Cunningham, VAVi's vice president of events and sponsorship. "Within hours we found the person and they're getting taken care of. We appreciate the help the city and media has given us."
Health leaders said event participants and spectators who had no contact with the bat are not at risk for the disease.
According to the HHSA, rabies is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Though rare, it can also be transmitted if the saliva from a rabid animal makes contact with a person’s eyes, nose, mouth or open wound.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the first symptoms of rabies may be similar to those of the flu, including weakness, discomfort, fever or headache. The symptoms could last for days.
A person infected with rabies may also experience itching or a prickling sensation at the site of the animal bite. Within days, symptoms may progress to include cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion and agitation. As the disease unfolds, the infected person may also experience delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations and insomnia.
Rabies symptoms can take weeks to months to develop after exposure. Once symptoms develop, health officials say rabies is almost always fatal. To date, the CDC says less than 10 documented cases of human survival from clinical rabies have been reported.
Health officials say prompt post-exposure treatment is crucial in order to prevent the deadly disease. This treatment includes a round of injections with rabies vaccine and an injection of human immune globulin.
