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August 5, 2010

Child Exposed to Rabid Bat in Garden Valley

An Oregon boy under the age of 10 who was visiting Idaho is undergoing medical treatment for a rabies exposure. A bat swooped down and scratched the boy while he was swimming in a pond in Crouch earlier this week. The child’s father captured the bat and then worked with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and Central District Health Department to have the bat tested.

The bat did test positive for rabies, making it the third confirmed rabid bat in Idaho this year. In July, a Blaine County man encountered a rabid bat while fishing in a tributary of the Wood River west of Hailey. The man also underwent medical treatment, which is highly effective against a rabies exposure. The first rabid bat of the year was detected in Shoshone County in March.

“Bats are the main source of rabies exposures to humans in Idaho, and every year we receive reports of rabid bats,” says Dr. Leslie Tengelsen, Deputy State Epidemiologist. “It’s very important for parents to educate their children to avoid touching bats or other wild animals that may appear sick or are acting aggressive or in an abnormal manner. It’s unusual for a bat to be active during the daytime. This is one warning signal that the bat may be carrying rabies.”

Eight bats tested positive for rabies last year in Idaho. Rabies can cause a fatal viral illness if people who are scratched or bitten do not receive the rabies vaccine.

People should call their health care provider immediately if they have been bitten or scratched by a bat, says Tengelsen. Medical therapy administered to people soon after a possible rabies exposure is extremely effective in preventing the onset of rabies.

While most bats are harmless and do not carry rabies, they are the only animal in Idaho known to naturally carry the virus. Most animals, including household pets, can become exposed to the virus by playing with sick bats that can no longer fly. Rabies is fatal to pets and other animals, too.

People usually come into contact with bats when a pet brings home a sick or dead bat, or when a bat enters the home through small openings or open windows. People who wake up from sleeping and find a bat in their room may have had an exposure without realizing it; the teeth of a bat are very small and people are sometimes bitten in their sleep without feeling it. The bat should be tested for rabies if there is any question that an exposure may have occurred.

In addition to rabid bats, over the last 20 years, several cats, a skunk, a bobcat and a horse were also infected with the bat strain of the rabies virus in Idaho.

To protect yourself and your pets, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare offers the following tips:

• Do not touch a bat with your bare hands;
• If you have had an encounter with a bat, seek medical attention immediately;
• If you come in contact with a bat, save the bat in a container without touching it and contact your district health department to arrange testing for rabies. Whenever possible, the bat should be tested to rule out an exposure to rabies. There is no charge for this service;
• Always vaccinate your pets, including horses. Pets may encounter bats outdoors or in the home; and
• Bat-proof your home or cabin by plugging all holes in the siding and maintaining tight-fitting screens on windows.

For further information please call the District Health Department in your area. Information on rabies can be found at the following website: http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/.