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A third rabid bat was found in Waukegan last Sunday, and a fourth bat found in Deerfield, resulting in the Lake County Health Department urging residents to avoid contact with bats. So not cuddling of bats, people!
Last year, nine bats testing positive for rabies were found in Lake County. Just a reminder of the effects and transmission of rabies:
Rabies is an almost always fatal disease that affects the nervous system of humans and other mammals. However, this disease is fully preventable with prophylaxis. Most commonly, people get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal. In other cases, people can contract rabies if any infectious material from a rabid animal, such as saliva, comes in contact with one’s nose, mouth, an open wound or gets directly into the eyes.
If you have direct contact with a bat, or notice bats behaving badly:
such as flying in daylight or lying on the ground or in your home, to contact the Health Department at (847) 949-9925. If the bat is inside of the house, do not chase it away because it may be needed for rabies testing. Residents are advised to avoid touching the bats. [WBBM]
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Bats Behaving Badly is right... Poor Waukegan doesn't need any more damned rabid bats!
Maybe we should organize a 5K to raise rabies awareness...
I watched some tv show about bats once. They are really amazing creatures...but that being said...I don't need any Health Department to tell me to avoid contact with bats.
Isn't that just kind of instinctual knowledge? :)
Typically less than 1% of bat populations have rabies. Here's a link to the Centers of Disease Control site specifying same and speaking towards the benefits of bats.
http://www.cdc.gov/RABIES/bats.html
If you don't want to come in contact with a rabid bat, they're easily identifiable. Just stay away from those that are on the ground or hanging about in the day light. They're not pets so don't try to pick them up. It's as simple as that.