Boulder County Public Health Communications Office 303-441-1457
Number of Rabid Bats Nearly Doubles 2008 Numbers
August 11, 2009 - Boulder, Colo. -
Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) is warning residents to
be aware of bats. So far this season, 20 bats in Boulder
County have tested positive for rabies. Twelve bats tested
positive for rabies in Boulder County last year.
Bats are the most common animal source of rabies in
Colorado. On average, about 15 percent of bats submitted for
rabies testing are positive for the disease. Other wild
animals that may carry rabies include skunks, raccoons, and
foxes. Humans can get the disease from the
bite or scratch of an animal infected with rabies (a rabid
animal). Rabies is an infectious viral disease that affects
the nervous system and is nearly always fatal, unless it is
treated before any symptoms appear. “People
are most commonly exposed when they pick a bat off the
ground, try to remove a bat from their house, or take a bat
from a family pet,” said Carol McInnes, BCPH Environmental
Health Specialist. “It is important that people avoid
picking up or handling bats. It is also important that your
pets’ rabies vaccinations are current, since pets are often
the first to encounter a bat.”
Pets without up-to-date vaccinations that
are exposed to rabid animals are required to be held in an
approved quarantine site for 90 days, often costing more
than $1,000. If the pet is not vaccinated, the
recommendation may be to have the pet euthanized.
Treatment to rabies exposure in humans
involves a series of five injections given in the arm over a
28-day period. Exposure to rabies is generally through the
bite or scratch of an infected animal. It is sometimes
almost undetectable, such as a tiny puncture of the skin
from a bat. Public
health officials recommend the following precautions be
taken to reduce your risk of exposure to rabies:
-
Do not disturb
or touch any bat found outdoors.
-
Ask your vet to include the rabies
vaccination in your pet’s series of vaccinations,
and to make sure they are not overdue for a booster.
Dogs, cats, and ferrets should be vaccinated for the
disease.
-
Because bats will often enter a
house, pets that stay indoors should also be
vaccinated for rabies.
-
Never touch a bat. Contain it, and
call animal control or BCPH to find out if it should
be tested.
-
It is critical that all bats that
have had contact with a human or pet be tested for
rabies. If a bat cannot be tested, it is likely that
preventive measures will be necessary (e.g. a series
of shots for humans and quarantine for pets).
-
If a person or pet has been bitten
or has had contact with a bat, or if you encounter
an abnormal-acting or obviously injured bat, contact
animal control or BCPH to arrange for testing of the
bat, and seek medical care immediately.
-
If you have bats in or around your
home, it is prudent to call a pest control company
to have them removed.
For more information, call Boulder County
Public Health at 303-441-1564 or visit their website at
www.BoulderCountyHealth.org or
www.BoulderCountyVector.org. |
