Humble teen infected with rabies dies

An Humble High School sophomore died this afternoon, eight days after being hospitalized for a rabies infection believed to have been caused by a bat.

Zach Jones died about 4:55 p.m., according to Texas Children's Hospital, where he had been in an induced coma for several days.

Doctors were treating Jones with a similar combination of sedation and antiviral drugs that helped cure a Milwaukee girl in 2004. The girl, Jeanna Giese, is the only known unvaccinated survivor of a rabies infection.

This evening, the hospital issued a statement announcing Jones' death: "The family wishes to express its thanks to the community for their prayers and support."

Hours before, his fellow players on the Humble Wildcat team spent the end of their practice in tearful prayers, still holding out hope before school was out that a miracle would happen and he would live.

"We were told he had only hours left. But nobody wanted to believe it," said Daniel Tatman, 16, one of the players.

Students dressed in white to show solidarity for him today. Many had his photo pinned to shirts, along with slogans urging the community to pray for the blonde blue-eyed teen, that some liked to call "z-man."

Throughout their son's hospitalization, his family has declined to comment and has asked friends not to discuss the boy's care or condition with the news media.

Because of the rarity of human cases — about three cases occur each year in the United States; about 55,000 annually worldwide — Jones' case has attracted national attention and hundreds of prayers and well-wishes from across the country.

According to family and doctors, Jones became ill last Thursday, several weeks after awaking from a nap and finding a bat in his bedroom. The boy may not have realized he had been bitten and the family did not seek medical attention afterward.

Health experts say that because bats' teeth are so small and sharp, a person could be bitten and not realize it. Officials with Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control have urged anyone who comes in physical contact with a bat to seek medical attention immediately.

About 30 of Jones' classmates and friends at Humble High School, where he was a football player, have been recommended for vaccinations as a precaution. His girlfriend was reported to have begun the series of shots.

Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system as it travels to the brain. It is transmitted by the bite of an infected mammal.

Most people afflicted with rabies begin showing signs of illness one to three months after being infected. Early symptoms include irritability, confusion, headache, fever, hallucinations and itching or pain at the sign of the bite.

Once symptoms appear, the disease, which attacks the nervous system, is nearly always fatal within a week.