Following the discovery of a rabid bat in Crystal Lake, the McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) is reminding residents never to handle bats or any wild animals to minimize their risk of exposure to the deadly disease.
On its website, the county informs residents that if they find a bat in their home, they should contain it in a room and call animal control. If the bat is outside and there was a potential exposure, residents should try to hold the bat by covering it with a plastic bucket or use some other non-contact measure and then call animal control.
According to the MCDH, bats found during the day and in areas where they would not normally be are potentially infected with rabies, as are those that are unable to fly. In any instance of a bat encounter, residents should not handle the animal and should educate their children to not touch wild animals. The MCDH also advised residents to keep their pets’ vaccinations up to date, even if they are indoor pets, to ensure that they are kept safe from exposure and provide an additional layer of security for their families.
In cases of possible exposure, it is important that the bat is turned over for testing in good condition, whether alive of recently deceased.
Illinois has seen 46 confirmed cases of bats with rabies this year, all but three of which were in northeastern Illinois.
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