DIXFIELD — A letter sent to Town Manager Eugene Skibitsky confirmed that a bat in town has tested positive for rabies.
The letter was sent by Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Aug. 11 to the town office, Skibitsky said.
Dr. Stephen Sears, state epidemiologist, confirmed in August that a family in Dixfield had reported a bat with abnormal behavior was inside their house.
“There was a possibility that family members had been exposed to the bat so it was sent in for testing, which confirmed it was carrying the rabies virus” Sears said. “The family members were treated with the rabies vaccine as a precaution” he said
A bat’s mouth and teeth are extremely small and bites are often undetectable or are mistaken as an insect bite. Bats also rarely attack humans or carry the rabies virus, Sears said.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has received five bats that tested positive for the rabies virus this year. On average, only 1 out of 200 bats tested come back positive for the disease, he said.
“Raccoons are more of a problem with rabies than bats are,” Sears said. “We have already had 23 cases across the state of raccoons carrying the virus.”
Sears said bats often get a bad rap or may have something other than rabies that causes abnormal behavior. White nose syndrome, which is a fungus that grows on bats during hibernation, can mimic the same behavior as a bat infected with rabies.
White nose syndrome was confirmed in Oxford County in May by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. White nose syndrome has a high mortality rate among bats and can kill 90 to 100 percent of the roost.
Abnormal behavior for bats may include extended outdoor activity during daylight, being grounded, paralyzed or biting a person or animal. Not all rabid bats act abnormally, though.
Sears suggested the best way to prevent contracting the rabies virus is by avoiding wild animals, keeping pets up to date on rabies vaccinations, and if an animal is suspected of having rabies or exhibits abnormal behavior, contact an animal control officer.
“You can also try bat-proofing your home by making sure areas, like small vents and holes, are covered up to prevent access to the inside,” Sears said.
Sept. 28 is World Rabies Day, sponsored by the Alliance for Rabies Control, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga. This year the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention will be planning educational events about rabies for that day.
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