- Ryker Roque’s father Henry found a sick bat in their garden in Orlando, Florida
- He put the bat in a bucket and told Ryker not to touch it – but he did and got scratched
- They ran his wound under water but agreed not to go to hospital because Ryker was afraid of vaccines
- A week later his head and fingers went numb and he couldn’t walk
- The family has set up a GoFundMe for their medical bills
A six-year-old boy has died from rabies he contracted after being scratched by an infected bat.
Ryker Roque died on Sunday at an Orlando hospital after touching a bat which his father Henry had found in the garden and put in a bucket.
A week later his fingers started to numb and he was unable to walk prompting his parents to take him to the hospital.
He underwent experimental treatment that has only cured two patients in the US, but succumbed to nearly always fatal disease.
Ryker Roque (pictured fighting for his life) died on Sunday at a hospital in Orlando, Florida, after touching a bat which his father Henry had found in the garden and put in a bucket
Ryker emerged with a scratch on his hand minutes after being told not to touch the bat.
His parents washed the wound thoroughly but didn’t take the boy to the hospital because he cried when he was told he would get shots.
About a week later he developed numb fingers, a headache and started to hallucinating.
Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms develop. A vaccine given after a wound but before symptoms almost always prevents the disease.
Ryker was taken to Wisconsin Children’s Hospital where we underwent experimental treatment.
According to the creator of the protocol, Dr Rodney Willoughby, it has saved at least two children in the US and 18 people around the world.
The treatment involves putting the patient into a coma while administering anti-viral drugs.
Because the patient’s brain activity is suppresses while in a coma, doctors expect minimal brain damage while the infected person’s immune system absorbs the drugs to kill the disease.
The first person saved by the treatment was 15-year-old Jeanna Giese in 2004 who was cured of rabies.
Bats can carry and transmit rabies. Rabies can be prevented if a vaccine is administered before the patient shows symptoms