Local Health Officials Issue Warning Over Rabid Bats

County health officials are warning residents to be on the lookout for rabid bats after the carcass of a diseased mammal was found in an east Ventura neighborhood.

To reduce the risk of exposure to the illness, residents should avoid contact with bats and keep their pets from contact, said Lois Manning, director of nursing for the county’s public health department.

Although human exposure is very rare, rabies is almost always fatal, Manning said. The warning was issued after the discovery of the carcass of an infected bat this week.

Exposure to pets is much more likely than human exposure, officials said. In the past few months, a cat in Simi Valley was found to have rabies and had to be destroyed, and a kitten found in Oxnard was also euthanized after it tested positive for the deadly illness.

“Cats are particularly vulnerable because they can be attracted to the fluttering of an infected bat,” said Kathy Jenks, director of the Ventura County Animal Regulation.

Anyone who finds a bat fluttering on the ground should cover it with a garbage can or other container and call animal regulation, Jenks said.

“This time of year with the heat and the insects, there is nothing unusual about seeing bats out at night,” she said. “But if you see them on the ground or out during the day, that is unusual.”

Most of the rabies infections recorded have been from bats, but skunks are also possible carriers, officials said.

Jenks and local veterinarians recommend that pets be vaccinated against rabies. Although the vaccinations do not guarantee that a pet will not get the illness, it does decrease the chances.

Also, pets that have been vaccinated have a shorter quarantine time if they are exposed to rabies, Jenks said. A pet that has been vaccinated will only undergo 30 days of quarantine, while a pet that has not been vaccinated must be quarantined for six months, she said.

In cases of contact with a bat suspected of rabies, public health officials recommend that wounds--including scratches or bites--be immediately washed with soap and water. One should also try to capture the bat and contact a doctor. If the bat is not recovered, one must undergo a series of rabies vaccinations over several days.

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Avoiding Rabies

1. Report stray dogs or cats to the Ventura County Animal Regulation Department at 388-4341.

2. Do not handle or pick up any dead, sick or strangely acting animal. Try to isolate the animal until Animal Regulation staff members can pick it up.

3. Have dogs or cats vaccinated.

4. Keep pets indoors. Do not let them roam, especially at night.