Bats and Rabies: Truth and Fiction

1. Bats and Rabies: Truth and Fiction

2. Bat Questions???
 Are Bats Dangerous?
 Do all Bats have Rabies?
 Will a Bat Hurt Me?
 Where do Bats Live?
 What If A Bat is in my House?

3. Dead Bat At Montana County School Prompts
Rabies Shots For 90 Elementary School Children
• Mother (professional nurse) found a dead
bat in cat's mouth.
• Brought the bat to school and gave
presentations on the bat in five classrooms,
allowing students to touch the bat.
• Some kids put
their fingers in the bat's
mouth.
• Stopped by a soccer field
to show the bat to people.
• 110 people exposed.

4. Montana County School
• The school sent out notices to parents (due
to school nurse).
• Bat tested positive for rabies
• Stevensville School officials
used liability insurance to pay
for the rabies shots ($70,000
out of $150,000).
• Later the insurance company
agreed to cover additional
costs and assume responsibility
if law suits are filed by parents.

5. Montana County School
• The health department recommended treatment
for 105 people of the 110 exposed.
• 74 were vaccinated and 31 declined
the shots.
• Two more children were exposed
outside the school,
both declined shots.
• After the incident,
school officials
instituted a policy of
requiring all visitors
to the school to have
a visitor pass.

6. Are bat dangerous?
Bats, like all wild animals, should not be handled
by humans. This, however, does not mean that
they are dangerous.
Bats are very beneficial to man. They are
planters of seeds and enemies to harmful
insects.

7. What do bats eat?
 Some bats only eat
fruit.
 These bats are
valuable because they
pollinate plants and
are responsible for
many new plants.
 Many plant eating bats
have leaf noses.
 Some bats eat
insects.
 These bats are
valuable because they
eliminate millions of
harmful insects.
 Insects eating bats
usually have very long
ears. They use
echolocation (built in
radar) to find their
prey.

8. Includes ALL rabies cases not just bats.

9. Rabies in the U.S.
Every year, it is estimated that
40,000 persons receive a rabies
prevention treatment called
post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
due to a potential exposure to
rabies.
More than 90% of all animal
rabies cases reported to CDC
each year occur in wild animals.
The main animals that get rabies
include raccoons, skunks, foxes
and bats. However, most people
are exposed to rabies due to
close contact with domestic
animals, such as cats or dogs.

10. Rabies in Cats on the Rise
According to new CDC data, the
number of reported rabies cases
among cats in 2008 increased by
approximately 12% from the
previous year. In addition, cat
owners might not be as likely to
visit a veterinarian’s office, where
they can receive shots that can
keep their cat safe from rabies.
Data from the American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA)
indicates that more than 36 percent
of U.S. cat-owning households did
not visit a veterinarian in 2006. This
is more than double the percentage
of dog-owning households that did
not visit a veterinarian.

12. Bats Roost In Buildings and Manmade
Structures…

13. Roost Selection…
• Bats are opportunistic…they select roosting
sites that can vary on a daily and/or seasonal
basis…
•Day Time–Dark, protected niches for sleeping
•Night Time–Warm, draft‐free hangouts near
food sources and water
•Migratory –They find temporary shelters during
migration.

14. Assessing Buildings for Bat Use…
Bat Guano (droppings), are good indicators for bat
locations.

16. How Do Bats Get In?

17. Potential Portals…
Eaves

18. Potential Portals…
Gables Flashing

19. Before Sealing
Begins…
•Provide a Safe Exit for Bats
•Determine main access points
•Install netting, plastic, or tubes that
function as one‐ way valves over openings
•One‐way valves allow bats to leave but not
reenter
•Leave valves in place for 5‐7 days (bats
may not exit every night)
•Avoid exclusions during the maternity
season as young may become trapped
inside

20. In the US, bats are the 2nd most
commonly reported wildlife with rabies
Vampire Bat

21. What if you wake up and find a
live bat in your home or bedroom?
What should you do?

22. You should assume you were
bitten and act accordingly (seek
medical advice). Bat bites can be
very small and not immediately
noticeable.
Photo of a bat bite on finger.
Photo courtesy of CDC.

23. Bats are our beneficial!
 There are many myths about bats, but we
need to realize that bats are very
beneficial

24. Support
conservation efforts

25. The Benefits of Bats
 Bats reduce the amount
of insects and pests that
affect farmer’s crops.
 They are vital in the
survival of rainforests by
seed dispersal and
pollination activities.
 Studies of bats have
contributed to medical
advances including the
development of
navigational aids for the
blind.

26. 26
This Children's Environmental Health
presentation was made possible through a
generous grant from:
The Dow Chemical Company Foundation
Midland, MI

27. 27
• Charles Lichon, R.S., M.P.H., Creator of Children’s EH
Program.
• Angela McIntire, Bat Management Coordinator, Arizona Game
& Fish Department.
• Dawn H. Gouge, University of Arizona-Department of
Entomology.
• Marlene Gaither, Environmental Health Program Manager,
Coconino County Health Department.
• Kandy Schalk: Davenport University Intern, Saginaw, MI
• National Environmental Health Association (NEHA.org) for
website storage and oversight.
NOTE: Permission to use this and all Children’s EH Power
Point presentations is granted thru NEHA, however, all grant
and credit notices and informational slides must be used
during each presentation.

28. More information about bats
and rabies can be found at:
http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/b
ats.html
Center for Disease Control
and Prevention

29. 29
Other presentations include:
 Body Art
 Careers in Environmental Health
 Food Safe Issues
 Household Hazardous Waste
 Meth & Teens
 Recreational Water
 Sun Wise
 Norovirus & MRSA
Contact NEHA.org, Children’s EH for more information

30. 30
For more Information about
this presentation, contact:
(Local Health Dept/Agency
Name here)