incident at Henson's Cave

Date
1st Aug 1977 approximate
Publication
ACA 1976-1979 p. 31
Cave
Henson's Cave
State
Missouri
County
McDonald
Country
United States of America
Category
Cave
Incident type
Injury that does not fit other categories
Group type
Unknown
Group size
Unknown
Aid type
Unknown
Source
Unknown
Incident flags
 

Injured cavers

No injured cavers recorded.

Incident report

In late August a 19-year-old Oklahoma City woman went with friends to Henson's Cave in McDonald County, Missouri. Past the entrance crawl the woman was standing in some water when she was bitten by a bat. A companion struck the bat with a coat. In Oklahoma City the bat was determined to be rapid by health officials. The woman was treated for rabies. The cave was later closed by the Missouri Dept. of Highways.

Incident analysis

Bats can carry rabies even when not affected by it. Any scratch or bite received from a bat should be suspected for rabies infection. Any bat crawling about should be suspected as rabid and avoided.

Summary

A woman was bit by a bat in a cave and treated for rabies. The cave was closed due to this incident.

References

  1. Anon. "Bat Bite Causes Closing of Cave" Springfield Daily News Sept. 8, 1977. Reprinted in Underground Leader 7:3
This record was last updated on 27th Apr 2024 at 23:11 UTC.