BLAINE COUNTY, Idaho — A bat caught in Blaine County has tested positive for rabies, the South Central Public Health District announced Thursday.
The bat is the first this year to test positive for rabies in south central Idaho, but rabid bats have been found in other parts of the state, including downtown Boise and Bannock County.
The rabies virus can cause a disease that, if left untreated, is almost always fatal for people and pets. South Central Public Health urges getting dogs, cats and horses are vaccinated, and advises taking these precautions around bats:
- If you see a bat, give it plenty of space. If a bat appears to be acting injured or sick, contact Idaho Fish and Game for assistance.
- Avoid direct contact with bats and never handle a bat with your bare hands.
- If you've had any direct contact with a bat, or you find a bat in the same room with a person who might not know they had direct contact with a bat, safely capture that bat without allowing direct contact with your skin.
After a rabies exposure, the virus has to travel to the brain before it can cause symptoms. The incubation period varies, and may take weeks or even months.
The first symptoms may be similar to the flu, according to the CDC. In addition to flu-like symptoms of weakness or discomfort, fever, and headache, there may be discomfort, prickling or an itching sensation at the site of the bite. Symptoms then progress to brain dysfunction, anxiety, confusion and agitation.
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