North Aurora sees case of bat rabies

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

NORTH AURORA – The Kane County Health Department has confirmed a case of bat rabies in North Aurora.

This brings the total so far to six cases in 2008 (three in Aurora, one in St. Charles, one in Geneva and one in North Aurora).

The most recent case did result in human and pet exposures. The individual is receiving medical follow-up and the pet was previously vaccinated.

Paul Kuehnert, Executive Director of the Health Department, reminded the public of three important means of preventing human rabies exposure:  

 –Never handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.

 –Prevent bats from entering your living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools.

 –Be a responsible pet owner by keeping vaccinations current for all dogs, cats, and ferrets even indoor pets considering that some of the recent positive bats were found indoors.

Last year, Kane reported five positive bats and Illinois recorded 113 confirmed cases of rabies in animals last year, all found in bats. This compares to 46 reported in 2006.

For information about a referral for capturing bats or for submitting specimens for testing, call Kane County Animal Control at 630-232-3555.