COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has confirmed that another bat has tested positive for rabies. The health department in Coldwater in a news release late last week reported this was the third positive animal rabies case in Branch County since May of this year. While there was no human exposure with this case, there was possibly some pet exposure.
Earlier this fall, an adult was exposed to a rabid bat and is currently undergoing treatment. The first bat tested positive in May and the exposure resulted in treatment.
Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the brain and nervous system and is transmitted through the bite of an infected animal or through the contamination of a fresh wound with saliva from an infected animal. Rabies is completely preventable if post-exposure shots are administered after contact with a rabid animal.
The health agency says rabies can be prevented by taking a number of precautions. Do not handle or touch live or dead feral animals, animals you do not know, or wild animals such as bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes that can carry rabies. If you see a dog or cat acting strangely, contact your local Animal Control officials and vaccinate animals using an approved vaccine as required by state law. A bat that is active by day, found in a place where bats are not usually seen, or that is unable to fly, and is easily approached, could have rabies and should be avoided.
As the weather gets colder, bats try to move indoors to hibernate where it is warmer. According to Kim Wilhelm, Prevention Services Director for the tri-county health department, if you think you may have been exposed to rabies from a bat, do not let the bat go. In these instances, you should safely collect the bat until the need for rabies testing has been evaluated.
Bats are a protected species in Michigan, however they can carry rabies and are a significant source of potential rabies exposure for humans. Although human rabies cases are rare, the vast majority of recent cases have been caused by strains of rabies virus associated with bats.
For more information about rabies, including signs, symptoms and treatment, visit the health department’s website at www.bhsj.org and click on “Quick Info About Health Topics” button located on the left side.
