Bat Tests Positive For Rabies In Oak Lawn

OAK LAWN, IL -- A bat that was found inside a home in Oak Lawn has tested positively for rabies. The Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed the bat had rabies. Reports of rabid bats, or bat findings, become more common in warm weather months when bats emerge from hibernation.

Oak Lawn Animal Control was contacted on May 31 after residents found a bat inside their home to have it removed. The bat was sent to the IDPH lab to be tested, when the results came back a week later positive for rabies. The village went door to door and hand-delivered a letter to residents informing them of the positive test result near the 9600 block of Kenneth Avenue, where the bat was found.

Of the hundreds of bats tested annually by IDPH, less than 5 percent test positive for rabies. A majority of rabid bats are found indoors. If you see one flying around your bedroom or attic, isolate the bat by closing the door to the room so it can’t fly out, or place a bucket over it. Dead bats found inside buildings or outside on properties, should not be handled bare-handed. Scoop it up with long handled shovel and put it into a plastic bag. Call your municipal or county animal control officer to pick it up.

>>> Bat-Bit Crazy: The Midwest Is Unbelievable Infested With Bats

IDPH is the state agency responsible for testing bats and other animals for rabies. Rabies is a viral disease causing encephalitis (brain inflammation) in humans and animals. Because rabies infects an animal's nervous system, the ideal tissue to test for rabies antigen is the brain. Before you start giving bats a bad rap, remember that a single bat can eat up to 3,000 mosquitoes in one night.

Here are some more helpful tips from Cook County Animal and Rabies Control:

• If a bat is in your home, do not release the bat outdoors until after speaking with animal control or public health officials. It may be possible to test the bat and avoid the need to receive rabies treatment.
• If you wake to a bat in the room you may need to be treated with a rabies vaccine if the bat cannot be tested.
• Keep vaccinations up-to-date for all dogs, cats, ferrets and other animals you own. Click here to find low cost Cook County vaccination clinics.
• Seek immediate veterinary assistance for your pet if your pet is bitten by a wild animal or exposed to a bat.
• Call your local animal control office about removing stray animals in your neighborhood. Never adopt wild animals, bring them into your home, or try to nurse sick, wild animals to health.
• Do not touch, feed or unintentionally attract wild animals with open garbage cans or litter.
• Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.
• Maintain homes and other buildings so bats cannot get inside.
• Call your local animal control office to report a bat in your home or a dead bat on your property.
• Call the Cook County Department of Public Health at 708-633-4000 to report human exposure to a bat.