SEATTLE — A rabid bat was found Tuesday on a residential road near Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum.
Even if not bitten, anyone who may have had contact with the bat should get a medical evaluation immediately or call Public Health – Seattle & King County at 206-296-4774 to determine whether preventive rabies treatment is needed.
While rabies can be fatal, it can be treated if caught early before any symptoms arise.
According to Public Health, the bat was first discovered at 1726 Boyer Avenue East after a resident found a note on their door saying two people had given a sick bat water.
The following day, an animal control agency euthanized the bat. Public Health tested the bat on Thursday, which showed it was positive for rabies.
The two people who gave water to the bat have not been identified, and so far, no one else is known to have been exposed to the bat.
Any person or animal that touched or had contact with the bat or its saliva could get rabies, which is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, Public Health said. Time is of the essence for anyone who’s had contact.
“Contact includes touching a bat, being bitten, scratched, or any other bare skin contact with a bat or its saliva,” said Elysia Gonzales, Medical Epidemiologist at Public Health – Seattle & King County.
If your pet may have been exposed to the bat, contact a veterinarian immediately.
Even if pets are current on their rabies vaccine, they need to be revaccinated if they had contact with a bat.
What to do if you find a bat
See a bat outside? Don’t touch it. If you’re worried that it’s sick, call animal control.
Find animal control services in your area.
If you find a bat inside your home, call Public Health at 206-296-4774 to discuss and determine whether the bat needs a rabies test.
Open windows to let bats leave your home if they haven’t come into contact with people or pets.
Close doors to other parts of your home and keep pets away from the bat’s location.
If a bat had direct contact with a person’s bare skin or with a pet, OR if a person wakes up to a bat in the room where they were sleeping, the bat should be captured and may need to be tested for rabies. Public Health said to use a shovel or gloves to put a dead bat in a box for testing. Do not throw it away.
For more information about how to safely capture a bat in your home and how to safely avoid bats, visit: kingcounty.gov/bats.
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