Boy dies of rabies after being bitten by bat as girl fights for her life

Three children were reportedly bitten by rabid bats earlier this month and a young boy died of the disease in Oaxaca, Mexico

The young boy was bitten by a bat (

Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto

A young boy died of rabies after being bitten by a bat while a little girl was fighting for her life, officials say.

The health department in Oaxaca, Mexico said the seven-year-old was bitten by a wild animal, with reports suggesting it was a bat.

>

The eight-year-old girl is from the same remote mountain town and is still in critical condition, sedated and on a ventilator.

Dr. Concepcion Rocio Arias Cruz, director of a hospital in the state capital, said the girl had little chance of surviving.

She added that the children were bitten by the bat earlier this month, but no one had arranged for them to receive treatment.

Children were bitten in Oaxaca City, Mexico (

Picture:

Getty Images/iStockphoto)

She said, "They were bitten on December 1, they delayed going to a clinic for treatment for 20 days."

Authorities in Oaxaca traveled to the remote indigenous town of Palo de Lima children to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies.

Rabies is a very serious disease that infects your brain and nerves.

It is usually transmitted to humans through the bite or scratch of an infected animal, most commonly dogs.

The disease occurs worldwide, particularly in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.