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Oct 14, 2023

Rabid bat identified in Elizabethtown

ELIZABETHTOWN — A bat in an Elizabethtown home was confirmed rabid after testing Friday. According to an Essex County Health Department release, an after-hours call was made to the department on

ELIZABETHTOWN — A bat in an Elizabethtown home was confirmed rabid after testing Friday.

According to an Essex County Health Department release, an after-hours call was made to the department on Wednesday, August 23, from an Elizabethtown resident about a bat in their home.

TWO ADVISED TO SEEK CARE

“After consult by ECHD on call staff, direction was provided on how to safely capture the bat and transport it to ECHD for purpose of rabies testing,” the release said. “The specimen was prepared and shipped to NYSDOH Wadsworth Laboratory. Results returned Friday, August 25, 2023 confirmed the bat was positive for rabies.”

Two individuals were advised to seek medical care, Jessica Darney Buehler, director of health planning and promotion for the department, said.

FIRST RABID BAT CASE SINCE 2019

So far in 2023, rabies cases have been confirmed in 8 other animals in the county.

“This is the first bat to return positive out of the 29 bats submitted for testing so

far this year,” Buehler noted.

This was the first positive case for rabies in a bat in the county since 2019.

WHAT TO DO

If you find a bat, dead or alive, in your home, the department advises:

• Confine it to the room where it was discovered, wait for it to land and place a container

over it, slide the top under the container and secure it shut.

• Never release a bat found in a home or camp if it was present where people were

sleeping or if it was in a room with anyone who cannot describe the nature and extent

of their exposure, such as a young child or incapacitated adult.

• Call ECHD immediately 518-873-3500 for instructions.

“If a bat had direct contact with a person or pet, or if you awaken to or find a bat in a room where you or someone else was sleeping, try to catch it so it can be tested,” Director of Public Health for ECHD, Linda Beers, said.

“If it tests negative for rabies, post-exposure treatment can be avoided.”

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