Rabid Bats Found In La Grange This Year: County

LA GRANGE, IL – Eleven bats have tested positive for rabies so far this year in Cook County, according to a government agency.

Five of them were in La Grange and neighboring towns.

On Monday, the county's Department of Animal and Rabies Control released an interactive map of where rabid bats have been found in recent years.

This year, the department identified rabid bats in three places in La Grange – the 200 block of Sixth Street, the 10 block of Elder Lane and the 10 block of Edgewood Avenue.

Discoveries were also made this year in the 4000 block of Central Avenue in Western Springs and the 5700 block of Catherine Street in Countryside.

In the summer of 2018, rabid bats were identified in two places in La Grange – the 200 block of North Kensington Avenue and the 100 block of Drexel Avenue.

Another one was found in the 600 block of North Stone Avenue in La Grange Park in the summer of 2019.

In a news release, Tom Wake, administrator of the county department, said a significant number of bats were found inside people's homes. So pets that are mainly indoors can be vulnerable.

"Rabies is a 100% preventable disease and is always fatal to unvaccinated pets," Wake said in the release. "Ensuring your dogs and cats are current on rabies and other vaccinations will help keep them healthy and happy."

Wake said rabies is nearly always fatal to humans if left untreated. The viral disease is transmitted through saliva and spread when an infected animal scratches or bites another animal or human, Wake said.