Boulder County officials are urging residents to avoid contact with wild animals and maintain their pets’ vaccines after three bats found in the county tested positive for the virus. The bats were in separate locations across the county and submitted to Boulder County Public Health by residents. Three bats found in separate locations in Boulder County recently tested positive for rabies, Boulder County Public Health said in a release.
“Exposure to rabies happens most commonly when people or pets interact with wildlife, pick up a bat off the ground or try to remove it from their home or property,” said Carly Wilson, environmental health specialist for Boulder County Public Health. “Finding a bat hanging under the eaves of a house, under a porch overhang or hidden behind shutters or gutters is normal. However, you should not touch them.”
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Rabies For Bats Positive
Rabies is an infectious viral disease that attacks the nervous system. The disease is nearly always fatal unless treated before symptoms appear, health officials said. People infected with rabies have to receive a series of vaccinations. About 15% of bats, on average, that are tested for rabies come back positive for the disease, Boulder County health officials said. Other animals that might carry rabies are foxes, raccoons and skunks.
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Although far from the first positive cases of rabies in bats this year in Colorado, the positive rabies cases highlight the importance of not being exposed to wildlife. As of July 17, 26 animals had tested positive for rabies this year in Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. About 13 people have been exposed to the virus so far this year, and 16 domestic pets.
Boulder County Public Health Environmental Specialist Carly Wilson said people or pets are most commonly exposed to rabies when interacting with wildlife, like picking up a bat or trying to remove it from a home or property.
“Finding a bat hanging under the eaves of a house, under a porch overhang or hidden behind shutters or gutters is normal. However, you should not touch them,” Wilson explained in a Boulder County release. “If there’s any chance that you, your child or your pet has come in contact with a bat, contact us as soon as possible by calling 303-441-1564.”
The Boulder County agency said that the infectious viral disease affects the nervous system and is almost always fatal unless the patient receives treatment before symptoms appear. An animal bite or scratch is a common method of exposure to rabies. These bites or scratches are “sometimes practically undetectable, such as a tiny puncture of the skin by a bat,” the agency said in a release.
Protecting yourself and your pets from rabies
Rabies can be treated through a series of vaccinations. However, officials recommend the following precautions to prevent rabies exposure:
- Do not handle unfamiliar animals, both wild and domestic, even if the animal seems friendly
- Contact animal control to have the animal collected
- Thoroughly wash wounds caused by animals with soap and water
- Also, seek medical attention immediately
- Keep all dogs, cats and ferrets vaccinations up to date
- Keep cats and ferrets indoors and keep dogs under direct supervision
- Contact the county health department or animal control if a person or pet has been bitten or exposed to a wild animal
- Place a container over bats that have come in contact with a person or domestic animal and call dispatch so animal control can collect the animal for testing
Boulder County Public Health said that an average of 15% of bats submitted for rabies testing are positive for the disease, but many other wild animals may carry the virus.
Residents that find a bat in their home are asked to call non-emergency dispatch and ask for animal control.
Health officials recommend the following precautions be taken to reduce the risk of exposure to rabies:
Do not handle unfamiliar animals, whether wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly. Contact animal control to have the animal collected.
Thoroughly wash any wound caused by an animal with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately.
Keep vaccinations current for all dogs, cats and ferrets. Keep cats and ferrets inside and dogs under direct supervision.
Contact BCPH or animal control if people or pets have been bitten or exposed to a wild animal.
If a bat comes into contact with a person or domestic animal, place a container over it and call dispatch so an animal control officer can collect it for rabies testing.
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