Thread: Bats May Have Infected 1000 Girl Scouts With Rabies

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Bats May Have Infected Girl Scouts With Rabies
Nearly 1,000 Girls May Have Been Exposed

POSTED: 3:19 pm PDT August 7, 2006
UPDATED: 3:29 pm PDT August 7, 2006

LEESBURG, Virginia -- There was a scare for Girl Scouts who attended a summer camp in northern Virginia -- nearly 1,000 girls may have been exposed to rabies.

The Loudon County Health Department said there were bats in the cabins of some of the girls staying at Camp Potomac Woods.

Sixteen girls have been advised to get a month-long series of protective vaccinations.

"The concern is if a girl had gone to sleep at night -- and particularly if she was a heavy sleeper and was not under mosquito netting and there was a bat in the shelter -- in theory that bat may have come in contact with the girl and she wouldn't have remembered it," said Dr. David Goodfriend, with the Loudoun County Health Department.

Health officials are also concerned the girls may have touched one of the bats and not washed their hands.

Girl Scout leaders are reinforcing cabins with extra netting and resuming camp business as usual.

Well, at least they were NOT vampire bats! My oldest was in Girl Scouts for four years. We went camping at least three times. Never had a problem with bats or rabies. Now, as a volunteer as a co-leader, cookie manager and other such jobs, I can tell you about some rabid parents and some obnoxious girls too. I never once worried about bats though.

I did not like the fact that the cabins at their campsites did not have screens and doors and that they had to use mosquito netting over their beds. I had to assist each of them in making sure that it was done correctly. I do understand they are on a budget, but geez let them bring tents instead

Originally Posted by lsmith1338

I did not like the fact that the cabins at their campsites did not have screens and doors and that they had to use mosquito netting over their beds. I had to assist each of them in making sure that it was done correctly. I do understand they are on a budget, but geez let them bring tents instead

The camp we stayed in had screened in cabins. But, we did have to rough not having any electricity, and uncomfortable mattresses that squeaked and made noise during the night any time anyone tossed and turned. This was on top of having to listen to everyone elses' snoring. We didn't have to do tents and we had outdoors but at least flushing toilets and hot showers. Now, how is that for roughing it? Certainly not like those annoying backpacking and camping trips my parents forced me to endure as a child while they were members of the Sierra Club, with smelly outhouses and miles of hiking too carrying a heavy backpack.