A 14-year old paraplegic girl in France was hospitalized after rats attacked her while she slept in the family home, leaving her with a number of bites and scratches.
The girl, who was identified only as Samantha, was found by her father covered in blood when he woke up Saturday, Sept. 2. He said that blood was coming from the girl's ears, and he feared his daughter may have had brain hemorrhage. He initially thought that the girl has become a victim of violent burglars.
Girl Has Paraplegia
Samantha had been sleeping in a medical bed on the first floor while other members of the family slept upstairs. Samantha's father explained that Samantha cannot get out of the bed because she has paraplegia.
The medical condition is marked by impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities, a classification of paralysis, or the loss of movement of sensation caused by damage to a nerve in the body.
"Paraplegia is a term used to describe the inability to voluntarily move the lower parts of the body. The areas of impaired mobility usually include the toes, feet, legs, and may or may not include the abdomen," the University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System (UAB-SCIMS) explained.
Samantha's father said that the teen is less sensitive to pain than others because of her condition.
"She cannot get out of bed. Because of her condition, she is less sensitive to pain than we are," he said. "She must have felt the rats on her but did not have the presence of mind to call us."
Multiple Injuries
The girl suffered 45 facial lesions. She also had 150 lesions on her hands and 30 on her feet. Several of her fingertips were also gnawed off.
Samantha is no longer in danger. Medical staff ran checks on the girl for possible infections, which include rabies, but the rabies test turned out negative.
Garbage Bins Nearby
A preliminary investigation has been opened to look into "housing conditions contrary to human dignity."
Samantha's father has filed a complaint against the landlord and against the city. He said that he had asked for a pile of garbage bins that were left near the residence to be cleaned.
The family has since moved into another home.
Rat attacks on humans such as this are rare, but hungry rats are known to sometimes feed on corpses.
