Rabies in Bats and Other Wild Animals
The Peoria City/County Health Department is advising the public about the potential risk of exposure to rabies from bats and other wild animals while enjoying outdoor activities in the summer.
Rabies is a preventable viral disease that affects the nervous system of humans and other mammals. It is often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. As many as 40,000 people each year in the
United States are exposed to animals that may have rabies. The majority of rabies cases reported each year in the United States occurs in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, coyotes, foxes, or bats. Domestic animals such as dogs, cats, and cattle account for less than 10% of the reported rabies cases. In 2007, 113 bats tested positive for rabies in Illinois. Most of the recent human rabies cases in the U.S. have been caused by rabies virus from bats. In Illinois, rabid bats can be found anywhere.
The presence of a bat in a home or any contact with a bat poses a possible risk for exposure to rabies and should be reported to the health department. Rabies can be confirmed only by laboratory testing. However, there are several signs that could indicate a bat is likely to be infected with the rabies virus. Bats seen active during the day and found in a place where bats are usually not found (for example, in a room in your home or on your lawn), or bats that are unable to fly are more likely to be infected than others. Such bats, like all wild animals, should never be handled. If you are bitten by a bat or have contact with a bat’s saliva that enters your eyes, nose, mouth, or wound, wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and seek immediate medical attention.
When possible, the bat should be captured by a professional trained in handling bats and sent to a laboratory for rabies testing. If you awaken and find a bat in your room, it is important to seek medical advice even in the absence of an obvious bite mark, because bats have small teeth which may leave marks that are not easily visible.
All animal bites should be reported to the local animal control authority. If an animal suspected of having rabies cannot be tested or if it tests positive for rabies, treatment with rabies immune globulin and the rabies vaccination series must begin immediately.
Here are what people can do to protect themselves and their pets from rabies:
• Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools, and other similar areas where they might have contact with people and pets.
• Bats should always be prevented from entering your home. Make sure that all doors to the outside close tightly.
• Carefully examine your home for holes that might allow bats entry. Any opening larger than a quarter-inch by a half-inch should be caulked.
• Do not feed, touch or adopt wild animals or stray dogs or cats.
• Vaccinated pets serve as a buffer between rabid wildlife and humans, so be sure dogs and cats are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations. Consult with your veterinarian about when your pet needs to be vaccinated.
• Do not allow pets to roam free.
• Do not attract wild animals to your home or yard. Store bird seed or other animal feed in containers with tight-fitting lids. Feed pets indoors. Make sure garbage cans are tightly capped. Board up any openings to your attic, basement, porch or garage. Cap chimneys with screens.
• Encourage children to immediately tell an adult if they are bitten or scratched by an animal. Teach children not to approach or to touch any animal they do not know.
• Report all animal bites to the local animal control.
For more information, please visit: http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/infect/reportdis/rabies.htm or contact the health department at (309) 679-6022.
