Sun City Center Woman Finds Rabid Bat Clinging To Arm

SUN CITY CENTER, FL – A bat that attacked a Sun City Center woman has tested positive for rabies.

On Monday, July 16, while helping a friend into a car in a parking lot in the 4000 block of Upper Creek Drive, a Sun City Center woman felt something strike her arm.

She didn't see what it was and proceeded to her home where she went into the bathroom and discovered a small bat clinging to her arm. The woman immediately squished the bat with a towel and contacted the Florida Department of Health-Hillsborough.

The DOH tested the bat for rabies and the results came back positive.

DOH-Hillsborough will be notifying all homes and businesses within a 500-foot radius of where the bat was found.

This rabies exposure is unusual, but, fortunately, the DOH-Hillsborough was notified so the victim can begin treatment.

Anyone who has been bitten, scratched or exposed to the saliva of any wild animal or an animal that is acting unusual should always report the exposure to the local health department.

Rabies is a disease of the nervous system and is fatal to war- blooded animals and humans.

Last year, three animals exposed 10 people to rabies. So far this year, Hillsborough County has identified seven rabid animals (four cats, two bats and one raccoon) that exposed 15 people and four domestic dogs to the disease.

People who have been bitten or scratched by wild or domestic animals should seek medical attention and report the injury to the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County at (813) 307-8059.

Image via Shutterstock

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