(Santa Ana) – The Orange County Health Care Agency has received a number of phone calls this year from area residents who are concerned about bats that have entered their homes.

Several species of bats are native to Orange County and bats are beneficial to the ecosystem for many reasons, including their consumption of insects. However, bats can carry rabies, a virus of great concern to people and animals.

“Many of our recent calls have been from people who have found bats in their homes,” said Hildy Meyers, M.D., Medical Director of Public Health Epidemiology. “In these cases, the bats most likely flew into the homes through an open door or window. We encourage all Orange County residents to make sure their doors and windows have proper screens that will keep bats and other animals as well as insects, like mosquitoes, out of their homes.”

Since bats can squeeze into very small spaces, steps should be taken to bat-proof the exterior of your home or other buildings on your property. This includes closing all outside openings larger than 3/8” inch by using mesh, netting, caulking or other sealants.

In 2007, five (5) bats found in Orange County have tested positive for rabies. This is approximately 9% of all of the bats submitted for testing, about the same percentage of positive rabies tests as reported in previous years.

The best advice is to never touch a bat with your bare hands, even if it appears to be dead. Anyone who has been bitten or scratched by a bat should seek medical attention immediately. If you observe a bat in your home, confine it to one unoccupied room of the house and call your local animal control agency. Animal control officers will remove the bat from the home for testing. Animal control should also be notified if you observe a bat that is acting abnormally during daylight hours. It is very important to make sure that your pets are currently vaccinated to protect them from rabies.

Potential exposure to a bat should be reported to Orange County Public Health Epidemiology at (714) 834-8180. This includes bare handed contact with a bat, sleeping in the same room in which a bat is found or finding a bat in the room of an unattended child.

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