2 More Bats With Rabies Discovered In Will County

JOLIET, IL - The Will County Health Department has now had four documented cases of bats with rabies so far this summer. The first case happened in Joliet. The second case in Naperville. The two latest confirmations from last week occurred in Homer Glen and in Joliet.

"On Tuesday, June 12, a downed bat was found alive, in the driveway of a Homer Glen residence of 163rd Street," the Will County Health Department stated. "Animal Control was contacted to take custody of the bat, and it was confirmed rabid the following day at the Illinois Department of Public Health's laboratory."

On a positive note, none of the three people at the Homer Glen home had contact with the bat, so nobody needed PEP treatment for rabies.

Then came Thursday, June 14. Another bat was found at a house in the 1300 block of North Center in Joliet. Residents saw a bat flying in the home. Will County Animal Control responded and confiscated the bat. It tested positive for rabies. "PEP treatment was not recommended for the residents in the home. These two instances came after previously tested rabid bats found in Joliet and southern Naperville," the health department noted.

Bats discovered in Will County need to be reported immediately to Will County Animal Control at 815-462-5633. The Will County Animal Control program maintains a 24-hour answering and emergency pick-up service for confined stray animals, injured animals, and stray biters.

Image provided to Joliet Patch with permission to use by Steve Brandy, Will County Health Department