Bat Tested Positive for Rabies in Chelan County

East Wenatchee, WA— On August 3rd a bat from Chelan County tested positive for rabies. The bat was collected in Wenatchee by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. In this event, as in all similar events, public health conducts a risk assessment to determine if anyone needs post-exposure prophylaxis.

This is the first bat from Chelan County to test positive for rabies since 2012. In the wild, less than 1% of bats have rabies. There have been two cases of human rabies identified in Washington, in 1995 and 1997. During the last 25 years, four domestic animals in Washington have been diagnosed with rabies. All cats, dogs and ferrets in Washington must be vaccinated against rabies.

It is extremely important never to touch a bat and to seek medical attention if you have encountered a bat. Bat encounters include:

• Bite or saliva in your eyes, nose, mouth or fresh wound.
• Finding a bat in the same room of a person who might be unaware that a bite or direct contact occurred (ie: sleeping adult or unattended child).

More information on bat exposures, what to do if you find a bat your home or cabin, what to do if you are bitten by a bat and how to avoid exposure to rabies can be found at: http://www.cdhd.wa.gov/docs/BatPosterEnglish.pdf.

This information is also available in Spanish at: http://www.cdhd.wa.gov/docs/BatPosterSpanish.pdf.

Additional information about Rabies is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at:

http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html.

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