HUMBLE, Texas -- A teenager stricken with rabies he likely contracted when a bat flew into his bedroom and bit him died Friday.

The Humble High School sophomore had reportedly been in an induced coma for several days at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.

He began showing rabies symptoms last week. Doctors suspect the teen was infected several weeks earlier when a bat flew through his open bedroom window and bit him as he slept.

Health experts say bats' teeth are extremely small and sharp, so a person could be bitten and not realize it.

Hours before his death, fellow players on the Humble Wildcats team tearfully prayed for his recovery. Classmates dressed in white Friday to show solidarity for him and some pinned his photo to their shirts.

"We were told he had only hours left. But nobody wanted to believe it," said Daniel Tatman, 16, one of the players.

Doctors had been using an experimental treatment, a combination of sedatives and antiviral drugs, on the teenager. The treatment had been credited with saving the life of a Wisconsin girl, making her the first unvaccinated human on record to survive rabies. Following his death, the hospital issued a statement in which the teen's family expressed their thanks to the community for their prayers and support.

Rabies is usually fatal in humans once symptoms occur. The viral disease is rare in humans, averaging about three cases each year in the United States and about 55,000 annually worldwide.

Most people infected with rabies start to show symptoms one to three months after being infected. Those include irritability, confusion, headache, fever, hallucinations and itching or pain. The disease attacks the nervous system.

Students To Undergo Testing

More than two-dozen high school students may soon have to undergo a series of injections to protect themselves against rabies.

Health department officials went to Humble High School Thursday to interview 250 students who had contact with a teenage boy who contracted rabies.

Officials focused on rabies victim Zach Jones' classmates and his football teammates. They said the exchange of saliva is the primary mode of transmitting the disease -- through kissing or sharing drinks.

However, health officials said it is highly unlikely that another student was infected. But they don't want to take any chances.

Health officials recommended 30 students be vaccinated.

"It's important to realize the risk of any child developing rabies from any of this is very low," said Dr. Carolyn Frughaler with the Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services Department.

The only documented cases of human-to-human transmission are through organ and cornea donations.

A parent meeting was held Thursday night in the Humble High School auditorium to answer questions about rabies. Only about 30 parents attended.

The last human case of rabies in the Harris County area occurred in a male in 1997. There were only 48 cases of human rabies reported in the United States between 1990 and August 2005.

Rabies Facts:

Rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects the central nervous system.
Any warm-blooded animal can spread it.
The five wild animals in Texas at high risk of spreading rabies are bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
People should avoid direct contact with any wild animals.
Children should be taught to never handle any animals they're not familiar with.
All wounds inflicted by an animal should be washed thoroughly with soap and water for at least five minutes and medical attention should be sought immediately.
All pets should be vaccinated against rabies.

For more information on rabies, visit www.cdc.gov.