Students vaccinated after touching bat

STEVENSVILLE, Mont., Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Dozens of students who touched a dead bat brought by a parent to a Montana elementary school have undergone rabies vaccinations, officials said.

Officials say the parent, a local nurse, brought the bat to the school in Stevensville, Mont., last week as an apparent "show and tell" activity, and allowed close to 100 children to touch its body, The Ravalli Republic, Hamilton, Montana, reported Wednesday.

After word of the incident got out, the Ravalli County, Mont., Health Department vaccinated the children against rabies even though the chances of disease transmission were very low, the newspaper said.

"This animal was dead and rabies is not a real tough virus," said Kammy Johnson, epidemiologist with the Montana State Health Department. "It needs a warm body to survive. … It doesn't like to be dried out or be cold or be out in the open. We're saying the risk is very, very low."

Stevensville School District officials said they have changed the district's "open door" policy as a result of the incident, now requiring parents to check outside items at the school office first.