Bat captured in county tests positive for rabies

A bat found at a residence in Thompson Falls has tested positive

for rabies.

County Sanitarian Shawn Sorenson said that three bats have been sent to the state lab for testing and one of those tested

positive for rabies. Two of the bats were captured inside homes,

and one outside. The bat found outside tested positive for rabies.

The homeowner found the bat outside unable to fly during the

day, Sorenson said.

Sorenson, who has been with the county Environmental Health

department for 10 years, said this is the first time he has sent bats

in for testing. He noted that it’s not uncommon for a bat to test

positive for rabies or for colonies to have sick bats.

Sanders County Environmental Health and Public Health staff

have been receiving questions about bat exposure to pets and

humans. Public Health officials posted a press release online

encouraging residents to call the office if a human has come in

contact with a bat to determine whether an exposure has occurred and if testing is warranted. They also said that if a pet has brought in a bat and the pet is up to date on its rabies vaccine and no human exposure occurred, there is no reason to test the bat. If a pet is not up to date on vaccines, residents should call the

state Department of Livestock at (406) 444-2976 to discuss whether or not the bat should be brought in for testing. The county also added that in that situation, the pet will need to get a rabies vaccination as soon as possible.

If a bat is found in your house or needs to be brought in for testing, Public Health advises people to use impermeable gloves to capture the bat, if it is safe to do so, and place it in a glass quart jar with a lid, keeping it cool such as in a small cooler with ice. “Wash hands immediately after. Bring it to our office and we will ship the bat. Do not bring in bats for testing that have not

met the exposure conditions above,” the office stated.

Stephen Vantassel is the Vertebrate Pest Specialist for the Montana Department of Agriculture. He said it’s important for residents to know what to do when they encounter a bat in their living space. He said it’s not uncommon to have bats penetrate an exterior wall but if a bat enters the space where you are working and living, that is when there is potential for rabies exposure. “A lot of people have bats in the building and sometimes never know it because they don’t go into the living space,” Vantassel explained. He also said that they don’t want people to be paranoid, but want people to understand what to do if they have a bat in their living space. In that situation, the bat should be captured and people need to contact a health professional. Vantassel said bats need to be captured responsibly, ensuring that the bat’s brain is not damaged. “That’s the part that needs to be tested. It’s much better to have the bat in hand. Don’t just shoo it out of your house,” he said.

Vantassel, who has been with the department since 2015, noted that rabies among bats is low, but when there is a human encounter, the likelihood jumps. Vantassel also helps Montanans with the process of evicting bats from the structure, helping inform residents of what needs to be done so that the solution lasts. He recommends excluding gaps in excess of a quarter inch to ensure they can’t enter a structure. “Don’t leave a gap because the bats will find it,” Vantassel said, explaining that the hole needs to be big enough for a bat to get its head through. Residents can look for signs of bats including guano (excrement) below a hole in their structure, smudge marks from body oils staining the surface or possibly an odor.

Bats have a very low reproduction rate, so Vantassel’s department recommends not doing a full exclusion between May and August 15 in order to minimize risk to any young bats that can be abandoned in the process. He also said that people can use bat houses to help mitigate issues, but recommends they are not positioned in the afternoon sun so the bats don’t overheat. Vantassel also recommends people avoid putting bat houses on homes, but installing them in places where there is not a lot of human or pet traffic to avoid encounters.

For more information, contact Sanders County Public Health at (406) 827-6911 or Environmental Health at (406) 827-6909. Vantassel can be reached at (406) 538- 3004. His publication on bats is available online at https://agr.mt.gov/Vertebrate-Pests.