KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Bats in King County can have rabies, as a local couple found out recently when a bat they found in their house tested positive for rabies. Because they weren’t sure whether the bat had scratched or bitten them while they were sleeping, they received post-exposure treatment, which is 100% effective if given promptly. Without treatment, rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. Since the beginning of 2008 in King County, 22 people have been treated for exposure to potentially rabid bats and two of the bats that were tested were found to be rabid.
“Healthy bats will avoid people, so be suspicious of a bat you find inside your home or on the ground,” said Dr. Sharon Hopkins, Public Health veterinarian at Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Bats are an important part of our ecosystem, but teach children never to touch a bat, even if it is dead.” Approximately 5-10% of bats that are tested in King County are found to have rabies.
If the bat is discovered in a room where a person has been sleeping, there is a chance that the person was bitten or scratched without knowing it. Bats have tiny, razor-sharp teeth and claws that sometimes don’t leave any bite or scratch marks.
What to do if you find a bat
- If you find a bat inside the house, call Public Health at 206-296-4774 to discuss the situation and to arrange for testing the bat for rabies. Public Health tests bats for rabies free of charge.
- If the bat is alive, do not let it go! Knock it to the floor with a broom or other object, and cover it with a wastebasket or other container. Scoop it into a secure box with a lid without touching it or wear heavy leather gloves to pick it up and put it in a box.
- See detailed instructions on capturing a bat.
- Use a shovel or gloves to put a dead bat in a box for testing. Do not throw it away!
A series of vaccinations is advised to prevent rabies if a person is bitten or scratched by a possibly rabid animal. However, if the bat is captured, tested, and found to be negative for rabies, then no treatment is needed. Each year two or three people in the United States die of rabies because they didn’t seek medical care after contact with a rabid animal, usually a bat.
Typical local exposure scenarios
NOTE TO EDITOR: These King County families are available for interviews
|
More on the local couple
The couple encountered bats in their home on two consecutive days. The first bat was found next to one of the household’s four cats, who probably killed it. A second bat was found hanging outside a bedroom with an open door where the couple had slept the previous night. The homeowners captured the bats, avoiding direct contact with them, for rabies testing at the Public Health laboratory: The first bat tested negative and the second bat tested positive for rabies. Because they could not be sure that the bat had not scratched or bitten them while they slept, they received post exposure vaccinations. The cats were given booster rabies vaccines and quarantined at home for 45 days, but none of them became ill.
Another local family’s experience
A 9-year boy and his father were visiting a house on a local island. The boy noticed a bat hanging on the back of a chair in the living room. Both the father and the boy handled the bat, but the father caught the bat in a jar. He then called his health care provider who contacted Public Health to have the bat tested for rabies. Because the rabies test was negative there was no need for post-exposure rabies vaccinations. If the bat had not been captured and tested, both the father and the son would likely have undergone rabies preventive treatment.
Protect your pets, too
- If a pet has contact with a bat or other wild animal, contact your veterinarian and the Public Health veterinarian at 206-205-4394.
- King County regulations require that dogs, cats and ferrets be vaccinated for rabies by the age of four months with regular boosters after that. Check with your veterinarian to ensure your pets’ rabies vaccinations are up-to-date.
More information
While bats are the most likely animal to infect a person or pet with rabies, other animals such as dogs, cats, raccoons, and monkeys can also carry rabies. Call Public Health at 206-296-4774 if you are bitten by an animal including bites that occur while traveling in other countries. If your pet may have been in contact with a bat, call the Public Health veterinarian at 206-205-4394.
Additional rabies information
Providing effective and innovative health and disease prevention services for over 1.8 million residents and visitors of King County, Public Health – Seattle & King County works for safer and healthier communities for everyone, every day.
|
