Second Bat In Southwest Suburb Tests Positive For Rabies
(STMW) -- A second bat discovered in a southwest suburban Homer Glen home this week has tested positive for rabies, the fifth confirmed case in Will County in 2015.
A resident in the 13000 block of West Little Creek Drive in Homer Glen watched a bat flop into his garage then trapped it with a bucket and notified animal control, according to a statement from the Will County Health Department.
Animal control transported the bat by courier to the Illinois Department of Public Health laboratory complex in Chicago, where it was confirmed positive for rabies, according to the statement.
A second bat collected from the home tested positive for rabies on Thursday, the health department said.
Three people live in the home where the bat was discovered, according to the statement. Health officials are urging all three of them to consult a doctor and consider receiving post-exposure rabies treatment.
Health officials are also recommending the family seek a mitigation specialist to determine if a bat colony is nearby, and to bat-proof their home if so.
Rabies is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected warm-blooded animal. The disease is always fatal if anti-rabies treatments are not started right away.
"We're entering the prime season for bat rabies," Will County Animal Control Administrator Lee Schild said in the prepared statement. "It's important that individuals report any potential bat exposures to animal control authorities as soon as possible. It is also important that pet dogs and cats stay current on rabies vaccinations. The vaccine represents our first line of defense against the rabies virus."
Three other bats have tested positive for rabies in Will County this year, according to the statement. The other cases were in Joliet, Plainfield and Frankfort. In 2014, a total of 13 bat rabies cases were confirmed in Will County.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)