Healthcare providers at the emergency department will evaluate the exposure, provide care for the bite or scratch, and administer Preventive treatment for rabies exposure is urgent however it is not an emergency. If it is determined that you could have been exposed to a rabid bat the treatment is administered at a hospital emergency department. We have seen the number of bats testing positive for rabies double so far this year from the previous year. So far in Frederick County during 2015, 27 animals have tested positive for rabies which includes 4 bats and 19 raccoons. So far for 2015, 155 animals tested positive for rabies in Maryland, of which 33 were bats and 94 were raccoons. During 2014 Frederick County had 35 animals test positive for rabies, of which 2 were bats and 22 were raccoons. Even if a dead bat is found in your home, contact Animal Control to have the bat removed and tested.ĭuring 2014, 344 animals tested positive for rabies in Maryland, of which 79 were bats and 192 were raccoons. It is almost impossible to know if you have been bitten by a bat especially if you wake up to a bat in your room. This will be very important in determining if you and/or your family will need to receive treatment for rabies exposure. Contact Frederick County Animal Control at 30 to have the bat removed safely from your home and submitted for testing to determine if the bat has rabies. Close windows and doors to that room and do not let the bat leave the home. If you find a bat flying in your home try to contain the bat in the room. The other roosting site can be located in an area that has a cooler temperature (to cool off in the summer). One roosting site can be located in the area of the attic that has the highest temperature for hibernation (the sunny side). Bats sometimes have two roosting sites within the same structure or within two different structures that are close to each other. Most colonizing bat species will roost in man-made structures such as attics, behind shutters, under shingles, eaves, in chimneys, barns or any other suitable roosting sites. Some bats migrate in colder months while others hibernate in tree cavities, attics, and other structures. For more information about animal rabies vaccination clinics call 30. Clinics will be held Thursday August 27 at the Ballenger Creek Park and Thursday, September 3 at the Thurmont Community Park from 5 – 8 pm. The Frederick County Health Department’s Division of Environmental Health Services offers reduced cost animal rabies vaccination clinics throughout the year at various locations in the county. Pets including dogs, cats and ferrets should be vaccinated for rabies as they could have interactions with wild animals. It is important to remember that a wild animal should never want to come close to humans. Some rabid animals act very docile and may have difficulty standing, walking, or flying-in the case of bats. Animals with rabies do not always act aggressive or froth at the mouth. Animals that have rabies spread the virus to humans through a bite, scratch or any manner in which saliva of the infected animal enters the human body. Rabies is preventable with proper early treatment, but is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system. Other mammals that can have rabies include raccoons (the most common in Maryland), as well as foxes, dogs, cats, and ferrets. The rate of rabies in bats is considered to be half of one percent. Bats are often portrayed as creatures that intend to harm their victims infecting them with rabies. Unfortunately, bats are often misunderstood according to the Maryland Cooperative Extension of the University of Maryland. Many of the pests that the agricultural community and general public try to control with insecticides are eaten by bats. A brown bat, common to Maryland, can eat approximately 1,200 mosquito-size insects per hour. They eat hundreds of different insect pests, including mosquitoes which can carry diseases. Bats are the primary consumer of night- time flying insects. There are many different species of bats in Maryland. It is important for individuals to know what to do if they have a bat inside their home – dead or alive.īats are one of Maryland’s most valuable resources. Several of these bats have tested positive for rabies. The Frederick County Health Department Would Like to Remind People What to Do If They Find a Bat in Their HomeįREDERICK, MD – The Frederick County Health Department would like to make the public aware that bats have been found in local residences. CONTACT: Darlene Armacost, RN, BSN Public Information Representative Division of Community Health Services 30 TTY: Use Maryland Relay IMMEDIATE RELEASE:ĚUGUST 21, 2015
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