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County seeks anyone who handled bat found dead March 25 on walkway at popular attraction
March 27, 2015 (San dIEGO) --The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is reporting that a bat found at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has tested positive for rabies.
The bat was found dead on March 25 at 4:30 p.m. on a public walkway outside the Hidden Jungle, located between the Gorilla Forest and African Woods. The bat was also seen alive at 11:20 a.m. near a walkway across from the Red River Hogs in Nairobi Village. Trained park staff collected the dead bat without directly touching it and no human or animal contact has been reported. The bat, which was not one of the park’s collection animals, was delivered to the County on March 26 and testing confirmed the animal to be positive for rabies.
County health officials are interested to know if anyone who was in the park on March 25 directly handled the rabid bat. If you or someone in your family or group had contact with the bat, you are urged to contact the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency as soon as possible at (619) 692-8499. If you did not have direct contact with the bat, such as touching or holding the animal, you are not at risk for rabies.
“Human rabies is usually fatal without prompt post-exposure vaccine and treatment,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “There has been no reported human or animal contact with this bat, but it was found in an area where many park visitors pass by, and we want to make sure that no one had contact with it.”
Rabies transmission can occur from a bat bite or if a bat’s saliva comes in contact with a cut or abrasion, or with mucous membranes, such as the eyes, nose or mouth.
“People should always stay away from bats and other wild animals to prevent possible exposure to rabies,” said Wooten. “If you see a bat, dead or alive, don’t touch it.”
Rabies in humans can be prevented by avoiding contact with wild, stray, and unknown domestic animals, ensuring pets are up-to-date on rabies vaccinations, and receiving prompt medical advice following animal bites and other significant exposures to potentially rabid animals. Rabies is not uncommon in wild bats in San Diego County.
If direct contact with a bat does occur, wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and get medical advice immediately.
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