Rabies-Positive Bat Confirmed in Long Beach

LONG BEACH — The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services or Health Department Oct 2 confirmed that a bat found in Long Beach has tested positive for rabies. The bat was submitted and tested by the Long Beach Public Health Laboratory on Sept. 30.

Although rabies-positive bats are detected in Los Angeles County every year, this is the first positive detection in Long Beach since 2014.

Rabies is known to occur in bats in Southern California. Rabies is a rare but serious disease caused by a virus that infects the brain. People and animals can get rabies from the bite of an infected animal. In California, bats and skunks are the animals that most often get rabies. Once people and animals are infected with the rabies virus and begin to show symptoms, it is almost always fatal.

City Health Officer Dr. Cliff Okada reminds residents that the most important rule is simple: Never touch a bat or other wild animal and never allow pets to interact with them. Even small or unnoticed bites can transmit rabies.

Other safety practices include:

• Report bats right away: If you find a bat in or outside your home, especially near a sleeping person, child or pet, do not touch it with bare hands or release it. If it can be done safely, carefully cover the bat with a box or container and contact Long Beach Animal Care Services at 562-570-7387, available 24/7, for guidance on collection and testing.
• Seek medical advice immediately: If you are bitten or scratched by a bat or may have had contact with one, wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical care right away from a doctor or health care provider. Rabies can be prevented with prompt post-exposure treatment.
• Vaccinate your pets: Make sure dogs and cats are up to date on their rabies vaccinations, including indoor pets. If a pet has contact with a bat or other wild animal, contact Long Beach Animal Care Services for guidance.
• Know the signs of illness in bats: Bats that are active during the day, on the ground or unable to fly may be sick. Do not touch the bat.
• Understand the risk: In recent years, about 17% of bats encountered by people or pets in Los Angeles County have tested positive for rabies, with positivity rates rising as high as 33% in late summer, according to Los Angeles County Public Health.
• Bat-proof your home: Search for openings 0.25 inch by 0.5 inch or larger, including electrical and plumbing holes, and seal them with caulking. Install heavy-duty wire mesh over vent openings. Ensure all doors to the outside close tightly. Use window screens, chimney caps and draft guards beneath attic doors

What Counts as a Rabies Exposure?

A person may be exposed to rabies if saliva or nervous tissue from a bat that has or may have rabies enters the body through a bite, scratch or wound, or through the eyes, nose or mouth.

Bat bites can be very small and may feel like a pinprick, so they may go unnoticed, particularly by someone who is sleeping. Anyone who wakes up to find a bat in the room, or finds a bat near a sleeping person, young child or pet, should contact a health care provider and Long Beach Animal Care Services promptly for guidance.

Details: Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control at 562-570-4302.