KLINGERSTOWN - The Tri-Valley School District will hold a special public meeting today to address concerns children at the Mahantongo Elementary School may have been exposed to rabies.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Mahantongo Elementary School, just prior to the school's annual holiday program.
According to Superintendent Mark D. Snyder, sometime between Tuesday, Dec. 4, and Wednesday, Dec. 5, a gray striped farm cat from an adjacent property approached students on the school's playground.
Snyder said several children were in contact with the cat, but he didn't report a specific number.
The cat died Saturday, Dec. 8, and was taken to Sunbury Animal Hospital and later transported to Harrisburg for testing. The Department of Health, as well as the property owner, notified the school district Wednesday that the cat tested positive for rabies, Snyder said.
Three representatives from the state Department of Health are scheduled to attend today's meeting to answer parents' questions and concerns, Snyder said.
Parents were advised to contact the Department of Health, Pottsville office at 621-3112 and were asked to contact the school if they believed their child was exposed to rabies.
For more information about the rabies virus, contact Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov, the Pennsylvania Department of Health at www.health.state.pa.us and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at www.agriculture.state.pa.us.