Two bats test positive for rabies in Shasta County; HHSA provides safety recommendations for the public

Shasta County’s Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) is sharing safety tips with the public after two local bats tested positive for rabies in the last two months. 

Most bats do not carry rabies – a fatal disease usually transmitted through scratches and bites, which can affect humans and their pets. But all wild mammals — including but not limited to raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes and bats — are capable of spreading rabies to people. 

HHSA cautions against direct contact with bats or other wild animals, and if handling a bat, says to wear heavy gloves, and to use a box or bucket to transport a sick or dead bat. That’s particularly important since a scratch or bite that transmits the disease can sometimes go unnoticed. 

Rabid bats typically (but not always) exhibit unusual behavior, such as flying during the day or resting in open and visible areas. If you see a sick bat that may have bitten or scratched an animal or person in the vicinity, HHSA recommends placing a bucket over the bat and contacting animal regulation services, who can test the bat. Testing possibly rabid bats can help save lives. 

It is important that pets remain updated on their rabies vaccinations. And if a person or pet is scratched or bitten by a wild animal, or possibly exposed to rabies in any way, it is imperative to seek testing and treatment immediately. Rabies is almost always fatal, if post-exposure treatment does not begin before the afflicted begin to show symptoms. Symptoms include fever, agitation, difficulty swallowing, excessive salivation, and hallucinations. 

Despite the seriousness of the infection, treatment and prevention efforts are effective with rabies fatalities in the U.S. at less than 10 per year.

For more information on rabies and bat safety, consult HHSA’s guidelines. 

Call your local animal regulation service to report potential exposures, to remove a bat, and for rabies testing of a bat, if it can be safely contained:

• Sheriff’s Office Animal Regulation (outside city limits): (530) 245-6065
• City of Redding & Anderson Animal Regulation: (530) 241-2550
• Shasta Lake Animal Regulation: (530) 275-7480

For health guidance, call:

• Shasta County HHSA’s Public Health office: (530) 225-5591

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