Rabid August: 10-Year High In Bats With Rabies

GIG HARBOR, WA - If August felt like a particularly rabid month, you're right. According to the state Department of Health, 21 bats so far in 2017 have tested positive for rabies, and 12 of those bats were confirmed in August alone. That's a 10-year high for a single month.

Health officials don't really know why the numbers are higher this year, although it's possible public awareness is leading to an increase in reports. The total number of confirmed rabies cases is higher so far this year than in 2016 and 2015. Last year a total of 20 were confirmed, and only nine were confirmed in 2015.

Rabies is almost always fatal without treatment, and bats can transmit the disease to humans through saliva. Health officials recommend anyone who finds a bat to contact local health officials - especially if the bat is acting strangely or enters human habitat.

Here are where some of the rabid bats have been found in recent weeks:

• Aug. 29, SeaTac - A bat was found along a public walkway at Angle Lake Park
• Aug. 25, Gig Harbor - The bat flew into a home and was captured by the homeowner and given to health officials
• Aug. 22, Seattle (Ballard) - A bat was found on a sidewalk along 8th Avenue Northwest
• Aug. 19, Seattle (Green Lake) - Not far from the Ballard bat, a group of teenagers was spotted near the bat, which was on the ground at the park; a passerby later alerted health officials

Read tips on how to safely deal with a potentially rabid bat near your home from the state Department of Health.

Image via Pixabay