Two bats test positive for rabies this month in Marion County
After a family living in the Shaw area found a bat in their home earlier this month, a bat that subsequently tested positive for rabies, Marion County Environmental Health issued a notice.
County health officials say that bats are the most common mammals known to carry rabies in Oregon. Consequently, you don’t want them inside your living quarters.
"Because there is a risk of bats transmitting rabies to people and their pets, it is important to keep bats from entering living spaces," Marion County Health Officer Karen Landers said.
The family in Shaw found the bat in a bedroom where two adults and a child slept. Although it wasn’t clear if anyone had been in contact or bitten, health officials advised they take precautionary measures.
“They found the bat flying around and trapped the bat in a coffee can and called Environmental Health,” Marion County Environmental Health Program Supervisor Richard Sherman said. “I told the family they needed to consult with their primary care physician.”
Finding rabid bats is not a frequent occurrence: an Oregon Health Authority map depicting all rabies-positive animals determined this year shows two bats found in Marion County and one each in Benton, Douglas and Deschutes counties, along with a cat in Lane County.
OHA spokesman Jonathan Modie cited broader statewide statistics from 2000 to 2016 that reveal 2,243 rabies tests were administered for bats over that 17-year period with 189 – 8.4 percent – testing positive.
Two years ago a bat found inside a Silverton home tested positive for rabies according to county health officials. That bat, which was tested July 20, 2015, was the fifth bat to test positive for rabies in Oregon that year, but the first in Marion County since 2012.
Both 2017 Marion County rabies-infected bats were found in August.
“We have a number of bats brought into our office each year generally in late summer,” Sherman said. “If the bat has bit a person or the potential exists of a bite we will have the bat tested, otherwise the person who has the bat can pay to have it tested at OSU Vet Diagnostic Lab.“
Sherman said finding one or two test positive in the county is about par for any given year.
“If the bat is out and about during daylight or is found on the ground is an indicator that they may be ill,” Sherman added.
Bats are found throughout Oregon, and they serve a valuable purpose.
“Bats are extremely useful to the environment; they feed on insects at night and only a small percentage are rabid,” Sherman said.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials agree.
An ODFW informational web post among its “Living with Wildlife” pages imparts:
“Less than 1/10 of 1 percent of all bats are believed to carry rabies. Infected bats are rarely aggressive and soon die of the disease. Nonetheless, always avoid contact with any bat. If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, or any other wild animal, or have any contact with the animal’s saliva, report it to your doctor and local health authority immediately. Capture the bat, if possible.”
Underscoring the rarity of rabies, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention states on its “Bats and Rabies” informational page:
“Rabies in humans is rare in the United States. There are usually only one or two human cases per year. But the most common source of human rabies in the United States is from bats. For example, among the 19 naturally acquired cases of rabies in humans in the United States from 1997-2006, 17 were associated with bats. Among these, 14 patients had known encounters with bats. Four people awoke because a bat landed on them and one person awoke because a bat bit him. In these cases, the bat was inside the home."
While it is rare, it's also unwelcome.
As Landers stressed from the top, the best medicine is prevention – keeping bats out of living spaces. Marion County provided a number of tips to that end.
Keeping Living quarters safe
The following steps are recommended to keep bats from entering homes:
- Examine your home for holes that may allow bats entry into your living quarters.
- Close unscreened doors and windows, especially at dusk and during the night.
- Repair damaged window and door screens.
- Cap chimneys and place draft guards beneath doors to attics.
- Seal all openings to attics, basements, or walls larger than one quarter inch by one-half inch using spray foam, caulk, wire mesh, wood, steel wool or bird netting.
To safely remove a bat from a home:
Open doors and windows for the bat to exit (best done at dusk or nightfall as bats rest during the day).
DO NOT handle bats with bare hands; always put on leather work gloves before approaching bats.
If the bat has landed, cover with an empty metal can or wastebasket, slide cardboard or plastic underneath, so that bat is contained, and take outside to release.
NEVER release a live bat or throw out a dead bat that has bitten, scratched or had direct contact with a person or pet or if found in the room of a sleeping person (bites or scratches may not be noticeable).
- Contact Marion County Health Department Environmental Health at (503) 588-5346 to arrange for bat testing.
For information, visit or call Marion County Public Health: http://www.co.marion.or.us/HLT/PH/EHS/vector/Pages/rabies.aspx or (503) 588-5346 or the Oregon Health Authority: https://public.health.oregon.gov/DiseasesConditions/DiseasesAZ/Pages/disease.aspx?did=41.