Bat Found At Apartment
Complex in Anaheim Tests Positive for Rabies
For
Immediate Release: March 28, 2008
Contact: Howard
Sutter (714) 834-2178
(Santa Ana) - Anyone who may have come into
contact with a bat found Saturday, March 22 at the Canyon
Village Apartments, 1265 N. Chrisden St., Anaheim, is asked to
call the Orange County Health Care Agency, following tests that
showed the bat was infected with rabies.
“Initial reports are that some children may have been in the
vicinity of the bat before it was picked up by OC Animal Care,”
said Dr. Hildy Meyers, Public Health Epidemiology Medical
Director. “In addition, it is possible that a cat may have been
in the same area prior to the removal of the bat. We want to
exercise the utmost in caution by asking the parents of children
who live at the apartment complex or may have been visiting
there on March 22 to ask their children if they saw or had
contact with a bat.” Anyone with additional information about
the bat found March 22 at the Canyon Village Apartments should
call Orange County Public Health Epidemiology at (714) 834-8180
during regular business hours (after-hours or weekends, please
call (714) 834-7792).
Human rabies cases are very rare but can result if a person is
bitten by a rabid animal or has contact with the animal’s saliva
through a break in the skin. Medical assistance should be
obtained as soon as possible after an exposure so any wound can
be cleaned and preventive treatment called post-exposure
prophylaxis can be started. This treatment is safe and
effective. Most bats do not have rabies, but to minimize the
risk, it is best never to handle any bat or wild animal.
Other recommendations to prevent rabies
include:
-
Immediately wash all animal bites with
soap and water, being sure to flush the wound well, then
contact your doctor
-
Avoid all contact with wild animals
-
Do not sleep with open unscreened windows
or doors
-
If bats are seen inside a house or other
structure, close off the area and contact animal control.
Once the bat(s) have been removed, close off any areas
allowing entrance into the house.
-
Do not leave pet food outside where it
will attract wild animals
-
Vaccinate all cats and dogs against rabies
-
Report all animal exposures to your Animal
Control program
-
Report stray animals to your Animal
Control program
-
Obey leash laws
More information about rabies is available at
the Centers for Disease Control website at
http://www.cdc.gov/rabies.
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