State health officials have found nearly two and a half times as many rabid bats this year as in 2017, and are urging families to take precautions for themselves and their pets.
Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that is transmitted through the bite or scratch of an infected animal. Bats and skunks are the most common carriers of the disease in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Laboratories has identified rabies in 22 bats and two skunks as of June 28. At the same time last year, only nine bats had been identified with the disease.
“Rabies is fatal to humans, so we want people to realize this is very serious,” state health department spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said. “Avoid contact with wild animals as much as possible, and get your pets vaccinated for rabies.”
Most of the confirmed infected bats come from the metro Detroit and Lansing areas, but infected bats found this year “are spread out across the Lower Peninsula,” said Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife veterinarian Dan O’Brien. The two infected skunks came from Oakland County, he said.
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Officials can’t say yet whether the increased findings of infected animals means a greater prevalence of the disease this year, or whether it has to do with more people being more diligent about submitting suspect animals.
According to the DNR, the early symptoms of rabies in people may look like other illnesses: fever, headache, general weakness, and discomfort that may include a tingling or itching sensation at the site of a bite. These symptoms may last for days.
Over time, symptoms that are more specific to brain dysfunction appear and may include difficulty sleeping, anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, agitation, partial paralysis, difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia, a fear of water. Once these symptoms occur, the disease is nearly always fatal. There are only 13 reported cases of rabies survivors worldwide to date, and only two of those had no previous treatment for rabies.
People or pets usually get exposed to rabies when they are bitten by an infected animal. Other situations that may present a risk include when a bat is found in a room with people who cannot be sure whether they came in contact with it, such as people who were asleep, unattended children or an impaired adult. In those cases, it’s important to collect the bat for rabies testing, if possible, health officials said.
Animal testing can be done by the state health department seven days a week, and results take about 24 to 48 hours, Sutfin said. If an animal tests positive for rabies, anyone bitten or scratched by it would then undergo a series of shots to attempt to prevent them from contracting the disease.
“It’s not as onerous as it used to be, but it’s still not pleasant,” O’Brien said.
Bats are especially active during warm weather months, and it’s not uncommon to have them swooping near people’s heads on summer evenings, as they search the skies for insects to eat. The health department receives for testing “animals that have been turned in because of suspect behavior,” having bitten or scratched a person or pet, or “just acting erratically, not typical of animal behavior,” Sutfin said.
The health department urged particular precautions:
- Avoid contact with wild animals or domestic animals that you don’t know. Don’t keep wild animals as pets, or attempt to rehabilitate a wild animal. They can carry rabies without looking or acting sick.
- If a wild animal appears sick, report it to the DNR online or by calling 517-336-5030.
- If bitten or scratched by an animal, seek immediate medical attention and alert your local health department, which can be found by visiting Malph.org and clicking “resources” and then “directory.”
If you find a bat in your home, safely confine or collect the bat if possible and contact your local health department to determine whether it should be tested for rabies. To catch a bat, wear leather gloves and find a small container like a box or a large can. When the bat lands, approach it slowly and place the container over it. Then slide a piece of cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside
Punch small air holes in the cardboard so the bat can breathe.
More information on how to collect a bat safely can be found on the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. Those who’d prefer not to attempt to capture the bat themselves can contact a bat and wildlife removal service.
Protect your pets by getting them vaccinated against rabies. If your pet is bitten or scratched by a wild animal, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.
Contact Keith Matheny: 313-222-5021 or [email protected] Follow on Twitter @keithmatheny.
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