A six month old baby boy is dead in York County after being bitten on his finger by a rat. The rat was used to feed snakes that the baby's parents kept. The Cumberland County Coroner, Charley Hall, said it could have been prevented. The baby died on New Years Day from Meningitis, which was caused by Rat Bite Fever. "I've worked a lot of cases and I've never seen anything like this," said Hall.
The baby's parents first took him to the hospital on December 30th with a fever and a rash. Hall said the doctor knew a rat bit him. Doctors treated and released him with medication, but on January first his parents brought him back with a high fever. He died in the emergency room. "We contacted the Carroll Township Police Department. They filed a report with Child Line and I also contacted York County Youth and Child Services. An investigation is ongoing," said Hall.
The Carroll Township Police Chief said the parents are cooperating, but didn't want to comment further because of the active investigation. Dan Arnold lives near where it happened and said it's important not to jump to conclusions. "You don't want to pass judgement. People are quick to judge sometimes and they don't have all the facts. I'm sure losing a baby would not be something that wouldn't be emotional. I mean that you carry on for the rest of your life," said Arnold. At this point no charges have been filed. It's also unclear what kind of snakes the parents were raising.