TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas county health department on Wednesday announced it found a rabid bat.
A Shawnee County Health Department official said a dog pulled the bat out of a tree July 12.
Test results showing the bat had rabies came back Tuesday, Community Health Outreach and Planning Division Manager Craig Barnes said in an email.
Barnes said there's no sign that the rabid bat had contact with humans, but the dog will be monitored for 50 days as a precaution.
“Situations like this are an excellent educational opportunity to remind individuals about vaccinating their pets and livestock against rabies, not handling wild animals and what to do if an individual or their pet/livestock should be bitten by a wild animal,” Barnes said.
The health department advised residents to check for symptoms of rabies including weakness and pain around a bite. Rabies can lead to hallucinations and delirium if it progresses.
The health department said people should not touch wild animals and urged anyone who wakes up in a room with a bat to see a doctor, even if there’s no evidence of a bite.
