Rabid bat found in Grant County
CBH Columbia Basin Herald Local News
MOSES LAKE — A Grant County resident is undergoing treatment after being bitten by a bat that tested positive for rabies. It’s the first rabid bat identified in Grant County in more than 15 years, according to the Grant County Health District.
The bat was submitted to the Washington Public Health Laboratory Aug. 8. “The bite occurred after the bat was accidentally disturbed from underneath a boat cover,” according to GCHD press release.
Family members found information online, which instructed them to catch the bat and submit it to the health district for testing. The bite victim is “doing well,” the press release said, and was the only individual exposed to the animal.
While bats do carry the disease, less than 1 percent of wild bats are infected with rabies, the press release said. Rabid bats have been identified in Chelan and Spokane counties this year. In humans rabies is very rare in Washington; the last two cases were identified in 1995 and 1997.
Within the last 25 years, four domestic animals in Washington have been identified with rabies. Washington law requires all cats, dogs and ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies.
— Staff report
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