Acting Long Beach City Health Officer Dr. Anne Anglim is advising local residents to avoid contact with any bats they might come across.
“Children are especially vulnerable as they may see a bat on the ground and think it is a toy,” said Anglim. This precaution is important as a bat recently found in a neighboring community has tested positive for rabies, which is a highly contagious disease that could be fatal in humans.
The bat entered a bedroom through a sliding door that had been left open. Animal Care Services (ACS) officials from the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) were contacted to remove and test the bat at the Health Department’s Public Health Laboratory. Public Health officials have been working with the family to ensure that family members receive necessary medical treatment to prevent infection from rabies. No Long Beach residents were exposed.
Rabies is a virus that causes a severe brain infection in mammals and humans that is nearly 100-percent fatal once symptoms appear. Infection, however, can be effectively prevented with prompt medical treatment. Any mammal can be infected with rabies; in California, the disease is most commonly found in bats, skunks, and foxes. Humans can become infected through bites from an infected animal, or through contact with the saliva of an infected animal. Bats are seen frequently in Southern California cities, including Long Beach, as this area is in the migration path of several species of bats.
Signs of rabies in bats include: activity during the daytime (bats are usually active only at night); being present in a place not usually seen (such as a home, playground, or anywhere on the ground); and an inability to fly. Bat bites can go undetected because their teeth are very small and do not leave easily recognizable wounds. If you wake up with a bat in your house, seek medical attention. Unless the bat is captured and tested, physicians usually recommend post-exposure vaccinations.
Direct contact with any bat should be avoided, and if a bat displaying the above behavior is found, notify Animal Care Services at (562) 570-7387 to retrieve the animal for testing. In situations in which a bat is physically present, and being bitten or exposed cannot completely be ruled out, seek medical attention immediately. The Health Department is providing additional tips to prevent risk of exposure to rabies:
• Teach children to never touch unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they seem friendly
• Wash any wound from an animal thoroughly with soap and water; seek medical attention immediately
• Request to have all bats tested for rabies if exposure to people or pets occurs (contact Animal Care Services)
• Prevent bats from entering homes, schools, or areas where they might contact people and pets by keeping doors and windows closed or covered with screens.
• Be a responsible pet owner by keeping rabies vaccinations current for all pets (both cats and dogs)
• Contact Animal Care Services about any sick or injured stray animal or for information on controlling nuisance wildlife
More Information
(562) 570-7387
cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies
longbeach.gov/acs
