Increase in positive rabies tests prompts warning from Michigan health department

Seeing an increase in the positive tests for rabies in bats this year, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued a health safety warning Monday.

Take action to protect family and pets against rabies, the health department said. Those actions should include vaccinating pets and notifying health providers when a family member, or a pet, is at risk of contact with any potentially infected animal.

Rabies is fatal to humans without treatment. Post exposure treatment is given to those who are exposed to a potentially rabid animal, the health department said. If the animal tests negative for rabies, treatment is not necessary.

During the first six months of 2017, the state health department identified nine bats with rabies. As of June 28 this year, the department had identified rabies in 22 bats.

Bats and skunks are the most common carriers of rabies in Michigan. For all of 2017, the state identified 38 cases of rabies in animals; that included 35 bats, two skunks and one cat.

From May to September, when bats are more active, searching for food and rearing their young, local health departments experience an increase in calls about bat encounters. While bats are beneficial to the ecosystem, they also are a natural host for the rabies virus.

Exposure to rabies usually occurs through the bite of an infected animal. Other situations that might present a risk are when a bat is found in a room with people who have been asleep, or found with an unattended child or impaired adult who isn't certain if they've had contact with the animal. In these cases, the health department said, it is important to collect the bat for rabies testing.

Among the recommendations for protecting against rabies:

• Avoid contact with wild animals, which can carry rabies even without looking sick.
• If a wild animal appears sick, report it to the Department of Natural Resources online or at 517-336-5030.
• Anyone bitten or scratched by an animal should seek immediate medical attention and alert the local health department.
• If a bat finds it's way inside the home, safely confine or collect it f possible and contact the local health department. The U.S Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has tips for safely capturing a bat. (Or hire a bat/wildlife removal service.)
• Protect pets by getting them vaccinated.
• If a pet is bitten or scratched by a wild animal, or if they have had unsupervised contact with wildlife, contact a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Read more:

• Bats test positive for rabies in Kalamazoo County in 2016
• Brothers undergoing tests after bat tests positive for rabies