COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has reported a recent surge in requests for rabies testing following discoveries of bats inside area homes.
While health officials emphasize that bats are vital to a healthy ecosystem as natural mosquito predators, they warn that any wild or unvaccinated domestic animal can carry the fatal rabies virus through its saliva.
Because bat bites can sometimes go unnoticed—particularly if a bat is found in a room with a sleeping individual, an unattended child, or someone impaired—residents must exercise extreme caution.
Health officials advise sealing home openings like attics and chimneys, avoiding all contact with wild or stray animals, and ensuring that domestic pets are fully up to date on their rabies vaccinations.
If a exposure or bite occurs, the health agency says you should immediately wash the wound with soap and water and seek prompt medical advice, as rabies is fatal to humans if left untreated but preventable with timely post-exposure treatment.
Those who safely secure a dead or captured animal for testing are advised to contact the The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency or animal control before bringing it in, keeping the specimen cold but unfrozen and avoiding damage to the animal’s head since testing is conducted on the brain.
For comprehensive safety steps, local statistics, and a map of rabies-positive animals in Michigan, residents can visit the official state portal at Michigan.gov/rabies.
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