Don’t touch bats | Tips to prevent rabies exposure

Spring environmental health tips from your local public health department

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

Your local public health team wants to remind you of a few tips to help make your spring season as fun and healthy as possible.  

Bats are highly beneficial to people, as they play a vital role in preserving the environment and hunting night-flying insects (like mosquitoes). However, bats are often unwanted guests because of the rabies exposure risk they pose.  In this article we’ll go over reminders to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from possible rabies exposure.  

Most bats do not have rabies; however, all human contact with bats should be avoided. The rabies virus is in a bat’s saliva and brain tissue—it can be spread to people through a bite, scratch, or other contact. Rabies is a preventable disease if treatment is given before symptoms appear. If left untreated and once symptoms appear, rabies is nearly 100% fatal.  

It’s common in the spring and fall to see bats temporarily roost outside on window screens, fence posts, piles of lumber, and other places. If you see a bat outside, leave it alone and do not touch it. It will probably be gone the following morning. 

Infected bats may display unusual behaviors, such as inability to fly, flying during the daytime, and making a lot of noise. Healthy bats typically avoid contact with humans or other animals and are usually not found resting on the ground.   

Here are some steps to take to reduce the risk of rabies exposure:   

• Don’t touch or handle wild animals, especially bats. Teach your children to never touch or handle bats, even dead ones. Have your children tell an adult if they find a bat at home, school, or with a pet.  
• If you see a wild animal, leave it alone.  
• Do not feed wild animals or keep them as pets.  
• Keep bats out of your living space by bat-proofing your home.  
• Vaccinate your pets. Pets can get rabies if bitten by a mammal infected with rabies, such as a bat. Protect your pets and yourself by getting them vaccinated against rabies on a schedule recommended by a veterinarian. Dogs, cats, and ferrets are required to be up-to-date on rabies vaccination in Washington.  

Excluding bats from buildings can be done by you or by a professional. In attics and areas where large numbers of bats have been roosting for years, it is safer to hire a professional to clean up bat droppings. To see a list of common entry points used by bats, check out Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife’s website.   

If you do not handle bats, the risk of contracting rabies is extremely small. If a person or a pet has come into direct contact with a bat or if you are uncertain of contact (e.g., you or someone else woke up to find a bat in your bedroom), call the San Juan County Health & Community Services (HCS) department at 360-378-4474.   

Only capture a bat that has been in direct contact with a person or pet, or if the bat was found in the room of someone who is uncertain of potential contact – it may need to be tested for rabies. Do not release a live bat or throw out a dead bat that has bitten, scratched, or had direct contact with a person or pet, unless HCS advises that testing is not necessary.  If HCS determines that the bat in your home should be captured for testing, follow instructions for how to safely capture and submit the bat for rabies testing.  

This is the third article in our spring environmental health series. Check out our previous articles on preventing hantavirus and tick exposures. Stay tuned for our next article with more information on how to help islanders have a safe spring! 

Relevant URLs:  

• Animals & Pests | SJC
• Rabies | DOH (español)
• Animal bites and rabies |King County
• Living with wildlife: Bats | WDFW
• How to Remove a Bat from your Home | Idaho Fish and Game(video)
• Rabies Activity in Washington | DOH
• Rabies Resources | DOH (For public health professionals, healthcare providers and veterinarians) 

About San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services  

San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services is responsible for community and environmental health, mental health and substance abuse programs, senior services, affordable housing projects, and more. The department has staff and offices on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services, visit www.sanjuancountywa.gov/1777/Health-Community-Services.