BATS AND RABIES
Thanks to Pam Wilson of the Texas Department of Health in Austin

It's once again the time of year when migratory bats return from their winter retreat in Mexico to join other bat species that live in East Texas all year. Although bats are fascinating animals that have immense ecological value, they are also high-risk animals for carrying a very serious disease. One of the primary concerns associated with people having contact with a bat is the possibility of exposure to rabies. Bats have been increasingly implicated as wildlife reservoirs of the virus that causes human rabies in the United States. Since 1980, 27 of the 30 human rabies cases in the U.S. have been attributable to exposure to bats.

Every bat bite or exposure should be evaluated by a medical provider. However, bat bites are not always visible. Therefore, in situations in which a bat is physically present and there is a possibility of an unapparent exposure, the bat should be captured and submitted to a rabies laboratory for testing. If rabies cannot be ruled out by laboratory testing, people with a reasonable probability of an exposure may be recommended for rabies post-exposure treatment. Scenarios that may indicate a reasonable probability of exposure to rabies include:

* a child touches a live or dead bat;
* an adult touches a bat without seeing the part of the body they touched;
* a bat flies into a person and touches bare skin;
* a person steps on a bat with bare feet;
* a person awakens to find a bat in the room with him/her;
* a bat is found near an infant, toddler, or a person who is sensory or mentally challenged; or
* a person puts their hand in firewood, brush, a crevice, or a dark space (i.e. a closet), experiences pain, then sees a bat.

If you find a bat in your house, immediately call your local animal control agency to have a trained officer sent to capture the bat. If you are unable to reach anyone for assistance, recommendations for bat capture are as follows:

* remove any children or pets from the room;
* wear leather gloves;
* avoid direct contact between the bat and bare skin;
* confine the bat to one room by closing the windows and doors;
* turn on the lights if the room is dark;
* wait for the bat to land;
* cover the bat with a coffee can or similar container;
* slide a piece of cardboard under the can that has the bat trapped; and
* tape the cardboard directly to the can.

If any possible contact between the bat and a person or domestic animal has occurred, do not release the bat. Contact your local animal control agency, law enforcement agency, or veterinarian to arrange for immediate submission of the bat for rabies testing.

If you are certain no contact between the bat and a person or domestic animal has occurred, immediately take the container outside and release the bat, preferably at night and away from populated areas.

When capturing a bat, avoid striking it if at all possible. Physical injury can damage the brain and make it impossible to conduct rabies laboratory tests.

It is especially important to educate children about avoiding contact with bats. The little creatures can be intriguing, but potentially deadly, play things for children. If a child, or anyone else, is able to touch a bat, there is a high probability the bat is sick. Protect your children by teaching them never to touch a bat.

For more information or educational materials pertaining to rabies, please contact your Texas Department of Health Zoonosis Control office in Tyler at (903) 533-5212 or visit the Zoonosis Control Division's website at www.tdh.state.tx.us/zoonosis.

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