Rabid Bats in McHenry County Down 86 Percent

Last year, McHenry County led the state with 22 rabid bats out of a statewide total of 117. This year the county has seen just three rabid bats so far, down 86 percent from last year, while the state has had a total of 44 rabid bats reported this year, according to the McHenry County Health Department.

Since most bats leave in the fall or winter to hibernate, now is the best time to "bat-proof" your home. A fact sheet on bat exclusion can be viewed at www.mcdh.info.

This week McHenry County Health Department supports the global campaign for World Rabies Day to spread the word about rabies control and prevention. Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system of humans and animals and is 100 percent preventable in humans.

The best way to avoid rabies is to avoid exposure. Keeping cats and dogs up to date with vaccinations not only will keep them from getting rabies, but it also will provide a barrier of protection for you if your animal is bitten by a rabid animal. You cannot tell if an animal is rabid just by looking at it. Any wild mammal — bat, raccoon, skunk, coyote — can have rabies and transmit it to humans. Changes in an animal’s normal behavior can be a sign of rabies.

If a bat is found in the home, contact McHenry County Animal Control immediately at 1-815-459-6222. In order to test bats for rabies, it is important they be in good condition (i.e. head is intact) — either alive or recently deceased. Specimens that are in good condition and which test negative for rabies eliminate the need for rabies treatment after human exposure.

Questions about exposure should be directed to McHenry County Health Department’s Communicable Disease Program at 1-815-334-4500.

To learn more about rabies prevention, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/.