Rabies was confirmed late Thursday in a bat collected from the garage of a home on the 13,000 block of West Little Creek. The animal was confirmed positive for rabies Tuesday, July 7.
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The cat found the bat near the intersection of Academy Boulevard and Austin Bluffs Parkway, and the cat’s owner reported it to the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, said Shannon Rowe, El Paso County Public Health’s communicable disease program manager.
Initially health department officials said none of the three people living in the home were believed to have been exposed to the rabies virus, but after the “second potential rabies exposure in four days”, they said they recommended the family talk to a doctor and consider post-exposure treatment, according to the news release.
Health officials are also recommending the family seek a mitigation specialist to determine if a bat colony is nearby, and to bat-proof their home if so.
A feral kitten found in Hollywood last weekend that bit a boy’s finger has tested positive for rabies.
Rabies is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected warm-blooded animal.
More than 90 percent of cases reported annually to the Center for Disease Control occur in wildlife, a marked changed from 50 years ago, when the majority of cases reported were in domestic animals.
Pet owners should make sure their dogs and cats are current on their rabies vaccinations. Low-priced rabies clinics are provided by the health department and St. Mary’s Animal Welfare League from March through November.
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St. Mary’s residents were urged this week by the health department to report any animal exposures involving people to the sheriff’s office at 301-475-8008. Inquiries should be directed to 815-462-5633.
