County Health Officials Report Finding Rabid Bat in Pasadena

A total of 38 rabid bats were found in Los Angeles County in 2016, but only one was discovered in Pasadena, County Health officials said in an annual report.

The Pasadena bat was found in October hanging on the exterior wall of a business.

In nearby La Cañada Flintridge, health authorities found three rabid bats last year – one in March, one in July and the third in August. Two of the bats were found in the same block.

Of the 38 rabid bats, 11 were found in Santa Clarita, which has had more rabid bats found for the past several years than any other area in Los Angeles County.

Twenty-two of the bats were found at private residences and 10 were found indoors – six inside homes and 4 of them in businesses. In 2015, only one rabid bats was found indoors.

Thirteen people and 14 pets have been either referred for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis or quarantined after they were considered potentially exposed to the rabid bats, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said.

The county is home to a large number of bats of different species in nature, according to the Public Health Department’s website. Although only about one percent of bats have rabies, the department said the rabies can spread to people or pets through bites. It also said bats that fly during daylight or have encounters with people and pets are more likely to be rabid – about 10 to 15 percent of these bats test positive for rabies.

The county’s Public Health Department also reminds people to stay calm when they encounter a bat, isolate the bat and make sure no pets or people get near it, and not to touch the animal.

“It is illegal to keep, injure, or kill bats,” an advisory on the Public Health website says. “Please do not attempt to rehabilitate the bat on your own or harm any bats when trying to exclude them from your house. If you find a bat in your home or on the ground, contain it and call Animal Control and ask them to collect it for rabies testing.”

To learn more about the latest rabid bat report from Los Angeles County, visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/rabiesmap2016.htm.