Rabid Bat Bites Bargain Boot Buyer!

(AP)

A rabid bat crawled out from under a rack at a discount shoe store and bit a 6-year-old boy on the foot, officials said.

The incident occurred Tuesday at a Payless Shoe Source. Workers from the Kern County Animal Control Services Division captured the bat and it tested positive for rabies, said Animal Control Division Chief Denise Haynes.

The virus is potentially fatal but the boy is undergoing treatment and "doing fine," said Claudia Jonah, an assistant health officer with the county Department of Public Health Services.

Treatment includes at least one shot of antibodies and five booster shots during the next month, she said.

Patricia Delgado, a worker at the Payless store, said Wednesday that she couldn't comment on the incident. The Bakersfield Californian said it was unable to reach the company's corporate headquarters.

Until this week, it had been more than a year since somebody in the county had been treated for a bite from a rabid animal, Jonah said.