Rabid Bat Found In Will County For Second Time In A Week
HOMER GLEN, Ill. (CBS) -- For the fifth time this year and the second time in a week, a wild animal with rabies has been discovered in Will County.
As WBBM Newsradio's Dave Marsett reports, the latest discovery was a bat found this past Thursday in a house on Long Run Drive in Homer Glen.
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The deceased bat was taken to the to the Illinois Department of Public Health's Chicago laboratory complex for brain tissue analysis. The Will County Health Department confirmed the rabies diagnosis Friday, a release from the department said.
Two people, a dog and a cat live on the Long Run Drive property but there was apparently no human exposure. One of the animals was given a rabies booster, the release said.
The incident marks the second confirmation of rabies in seven days. A bat found beneath a tree in Braidwood was confirmed rabid on Aug. 15.
Will is one of 16 Illinois counties to report confirmed wildlife rabies activity during 2011. At least five other area counties are included — Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry.
The state has identified at least 27 wildlife rabies cases through Aug. 19, including 26 involving bats.
Rabies is a fatal viral disease transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. In Illinois, most rabies confirmations involve bats.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
