Berrien County Health Department warns cooler nights increase chances of bat bites in home

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- The Berrien County Health Department warns that as nighttime temperatures drop, bats look for warmer spots indoors, so they're providing information to help keep community members safe and prevent the spread of rabies.

Department officials say in Michigan, most positive rabies cases are found in bats, which are most active in the summer and look for places to hibernate for the winter in early fall.

Officials say while wild animals most likely to carry or be infected with rabies in U.S. are skunks, foxes and raccoons, in August, BCHD has been made aware of a dozen bat bites or scratches to humans.

Officials say eight of the bats have been sent for testing.

“Rabies is a painful disease that is almost always fatal if preventive treatment isn’t given quickly,” said Sara Palmer, epidemiologist at BCHD. “We are educating community members on how to protect themselves and their loved ones against bat and rabies exposure, which can result in long and costly treatments.”

BCHD officials say if you are bitten by a bat, wake up to find a bat in your room, or find a bat in a room with a sleeping person, unattended child, person who is cognitively impaired, or someone who is intoxicated, steps need to be taken to ensure a rabies infection doesn't occur.

Officials say bat bites are so small an individual may not always know if they have been bitten.

Officials say anyone bitten by a bat should visit their health care provider for treatment of the wound and determine if antibiotics are needed.

Rabies symptoms may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, agitation, trouble swallowing and partial paralysis, which progresses into coma and then death.

BCHD officials say once symptoms develop, there are no effective treatments.

BCHD officials say, "to determine if a bat has rabies and post-exposure vaccination may be needed, the animal should be captured alive and brought to Berrien County Animal Control, which will coordinate with BCHD to send the bat off to be tested by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services."

Officials then say, "the bat should be brought in alive to ensure proper testing can be done. If the bat dies, place it in a container and keep it in the fridge until you receive the next steps from Animal Control. If the bat is not caught and tested, the exposed person will need to get the rabies vaccine series."

According to health officials, the rabies vaccine series consists of four injections administered over 14 days and each dose can cost around $400, even with insurance. Safely capturing the bat and having it tested for the disease will help better determine the best course of treatment.

To safely capture a bat, BCHD officials say you will need gloves, a small container or coffee can, a piece of cardboard or thin plastic cutting board and tape.

BCHD recommendations to catch the bat:

• Put on thick gloves before attempting to capture the bat.
• Wait for the bat to land.
• Slowly approach and place a small container over the top of the bat.
• Slide the cardboard or cutting board under the container, trapping the bat inside.
• Once the bat is in the container, securely tape the container shut so it cannot escape.
• Place a few very small holes, less than a quarter inch in size, in the container to keep the bat alive.

You should then contact Berrien County Animal Control at (269)927-5648 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday to receive instructions on next steps. After hours, call Berrien County Dispatch’s non-emergency line at (269)983-3060.