A 6-year-old boy has died from rabies contracted by getting scratched by an infected bat.
That's according to officials which include those from a school in Eustis the boy attended in 2016.
The school posted the news on its website.
The boy's father confirmed the news, telling outlets that the boy died Sunday at a hospital in Orlando.
According to the father's account, he had found a bat that appeared to be ill and had put it in a bucket, instructing the boy not to touch the animal.
The boy touched it, anyway, and was scratched, according to the father.
Incident accounts indicate that the father washed the scratch thoroughly, and expressed concerns that the boy should see a doctor for shots.
The father says the boy balked at the idea, so they refrained from going to the hospital.
Officials say about a week later, the boy began experiencing confusion and loss of sensation in some of his extremities.
According to authorities, the father then took the boy to a local hospital where treatment was attempted, but unsuccessfully.
Health officials say rabies is curable if a person is bitten or scratched by an infected animal, but the treatment has to begin as soon as possible after the incident.