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That story is getting nationwide coverage. It was on our radio and news sports channels here in Baltimore.
After bat, shots for Ginobili aren't just aimed at hoop
By Jeff McDonald - Express-News
Spurs guard Manu Ginobili has been placed on a precautionary regimen of rabies vaccinations after his now-famous run-in with a flying bat during a game Halloween night.
The shots are purely preventative. Because the bat could not be found after the game for testing — team officials say it survived and flew away — doctors recommended that anyone who came in contact with it be vaccinated.
Ginobili took four shots Monday in the hip and arm, and he is scheduled for four more such sessions over the next month.
“It was pretty funny at the time,” Ginobili said Monday, two days after his bat encounter. “Now it's not. I got like a million shots for rabies.”
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only a small percentage of bats carry the rabies virus, which is transmitted primarily through a bite or other skin puncture. The disease affects the brain and central nervous system, and it is almost always fatal if not properly treated.
Ginobili, who was not bitten, showed no signs of illness Monday and was expected to participate fully in practice. CDC guidelines advise anyone who has physical contact with a bat to be vaccinated for rabies, unless the animal can be tested.
“It wasn't so much fun,” said Ginobili, wearing a bandage on his right shoulder from his first round of injections. “But the bat survived. I'm fine. I'm not going to have rabies.”
A local veterinarian who didn't want to be indentified because of unfamiliarity with the specifics of Ginobili's case, said the question of whether to get shots is usually one for a person's doctor, but better safe than sorry is the general rule of thumb.
“Because bats are well known to carry rabies, and because he was exposed, this very well could be protocol” the veterinarian said.
The incident occurred late in the first quarter of Saturday's victory over the Sacramento Kings, when the rogue bat swooped to the AT&T Center court and delayed the game for a second time.
As if playing a bizarre game of handball, Ginobili sized up the bat as it fluttered near, then slapped it to the ground with his left hand. He then scooped up the wounded animal and dispatched it to an arena worker for removal.
In retrospect, Ginobili wishes someone would have kept the bat. It might have saved him about a dozen rabies shots.
“We asked to see if it was dead,” Ginobili said. “They told me it flew away.”
It didn't take long for video of Ginobili's impromptu turn at pest control to circle the Internet, making him the talk of the national sports highlight shows. A mention even turned up on the political blog Huffingtonpost.com.
The lesson: It's all fun and games until someone needs rabies shots.
“Everybody was worried about H1N1,” said Spurs forward Richard Jefferson, referring to the swine flu virus. “Now you've got rabies to worry about.”
Ginobili says he has learned something from his ordeal.
“Kids, don't do this at home,” he said. “Don't handle bats. Don't swat them. Don't do anything. Or raccoons.”
Still, asked if he would think twice next time before disposing of a bat in a similar fashion, Ginobili didn't blink.
“Now I can,” he joked. “I'm vaccinated. I'm safe.”
That is small consolation for Ginobili, who now faces a monthlong assault of needles thanks to a 30-second turn as Batman. As such, he harbors no delusions about who ultimately prevailed in this battle of man vs. nature.
“The bat won,” Ginobili said.
That story is getting nationwide coverage. It was on our radio and news sports channels here in Baltimore.
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