An 11-year-old boy died Wednesday from rabies caused by a vampire bat in an Amazon jungle state, the 11th person to die from bat bites there in a month, health officials said. All the victims were bitten near the small town of Augusto Correa, some 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) northeast of Rio de Janeiro, officials said, according to AP. A 25-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman remained hospitalized in the town with rabies infection caused by the bat bites. The man was conscious and in stable conditions, but the woman was barely breathing and only with the help of a respirator. Health officials in the Para state discovered the outbreak May 16, after four people had already died. Since then, officials have raced to vaccinate people, dogs, cats and cattle against rabies. Teams of workers use nets to catch the bats, which are attracted by cattle. In 2004, 15 people died of rabies from vampire bats in another town in Para. Some residents believe that deforestation has driven the bats from their natural jungle habitat and led to the increased number of bites.
