Mum of two dies after being bitten by pet hamster
A mum-of-two has died after being bitten by her pet hamster as her two children watched.
The 38-year-old collapsed outside a health centre near her home in Spain she was heading to with her two children, aged 17 and 11, to receive medical attention after the reported bite.
The woman, a Colombian national, collapsed outside of the health centre in Villarreal, north of Valencia, late Friday night.
Local paper Mediterraneo reported she was heading to an A&E after being bitten by the family rodent.
She is understood to have been just a few feet from the front door when she collapsed.
Health workers rushed out to assist her and made attempts to resuscitate her but were unable to save her life.
Police cordoned off the zone before her body was taken away for an autopsy.
It is not clear if the autopsy has taken place but results are not normally made public in Spain.
A local court is coordinating an ongoing investigation into her death.
In rare cases rabies and bacterial infections can be transmitted by a bite from an infected hamster.
Owners who are bitten are advised to wash the wound to reduce the risk of any problems.
There have been reports in the past of people with allergies being taken to hospital with serious breathing difficulties after being bitten by hamsters.
It’s not known if the woman was allergic to hamsters.
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