PDDH Advises How To Protect Your Family From Bats and Rabies

At this time of the year the Pomperaug Health District and the local Animal Control Officers usually receive an increase in reports regarding bats entering people’s homes. Last week, a bat in Woodbury tested positive for rabies. We would like to provide some information on what should be done if a bat is inside your house and what can be done to keep them out.

 If you find a bat in your home, it is important to determine if a person or pet may have had contact with the bat. Contact is considered to be a bite, scratch or physical contact.

If there is contact, immediately wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and seek immediate medical attention. In cases where you see the bat and cannot reasonably rule out the possibility of exposure, it should be assumed that there was contact.  Examples would be, if you wake up to find a bat in your room or in the house or if the exposure involves a child or other person that cannot reliably tell what happened. Bites or scratches from bats may not be very noticeable and you may not realize that an exposure has occurred.

Contact your local health department if there has been contact or if you are unsure about contact. For residents of Oxford, Southbury and Woodbury, call the Pomperaug Health District at 203-264-9616.

 If there has been contact between the bat and people or pets, the bat should be captured, euthanized and tested for rabies. Never release a bat that has had contact with a person or a pet. If you attempt to capture the bat yourself, avoid direct contact with the bat. Wear leather work gloves and use a small box or coffee can to trap the bat. Put the can over the bat, and then slide the lid under it to capture it within the box. You can also contact a nuisance wildlife control operator (look under pest control in the yellow pages) or DEEP Wildlife Division (860-424-3333) to assist you with capturing the bat. Any captured bat that had contact or may have had contact should be tested for rabies. Call the local animal control officer or the local health department to arrange for testing. If the bat tests positive for rabies, then you can begin rabies post-exposure treatment. If the bat cannot be captured, then there should be presumed exposure and treatment should begin immediately.

Rabies post-exposure treatment in a series of vaccinations given in the upper arm over a period of 28 days and a dose of antibody. It is highly effective if received as soon as possible after exposure to rabies.

In cases where there is definitely no contact with people or pets, the bat can be captured and released outside. There is no need to contact the health department or animal control officer.

The Pomperaug Health District offers some basic tips for bat-proofing your home. Most bats enter through a loose fitting door, an attic, an open or unscreened window, or a gap in the outside wall. Bats can enter through a space as small as ¾ inch in diameter. All exterior holes should be covered with steel wool or caulk. Chimneys can be covered with basic screening. If a large bat colony must be removed, observe the bats at dusk and dawn to see where they are entering or leaving the building. Once the roost entrance has been located, you can take steps to exclude them during the winter months. Do not attempt to exclude bats when flightless young are present, which is usually during May through August. The young bats will die and cause an odor problem.

For more information about rabies, please call the Pomperaug Health District at 264-9616. For information about bats, visit the DEEP website: www.ct.gov/deep; type “bats” into the search engine at the top of the page.