•July 5, 2017•

More than a dozen rabid bats found in Illinois so far this year

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) wants people to beware of rabid animals, including bats, as they become more active this time of year. To date, more than a dozen rabid bats have been reported in Illinois this year.

“Most cases of rabies in Illinois are almost always found in bats,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “You can’t tell just by looking at a bat if it has rabies so it’s important to avoid handling bats and to make sure your home has no openings where bats can come in.”

Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system. People can get rabies after being bitten by an infected animal. Rabies can also be contracted when saliva from a rabid animal gets directly into a person’s eyes, nose, mouth, or a wound. People usually know when they have been bitten by a bat, but bats have very small teeth and the bite mark may not be easy to see. If you find yourself in close proximity to a bat and are not sure if you were exposed, for example – you wake up and find a bat in your room, do not kill or release the bat before calling your doctor or local health department to help determine if you could have been exposed to rabies and need preventive treatment. If the bat is available for testing and test results are negative, preventive treatment is not needed.      Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.