Raccoon attack, breeding bats trigger rabies warnings in CSRA
EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Officials in Georgia issued a warning after a rabid raccoon was found in Columbia County, and experts in South Carolina are saying to watch out for bats, which can also carry the deadly virus.
The raccoon attacked two vaccinated dogs June 19 near the area of Calloway Road in Evans. It was collected by Columbia County Animal Services and sent to a state lab for testing.
Results confirmed the raccoon was positive for rabies.
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The Columbia County Health Department Environmental Health Section recommends the following:
- Make sure your dogs and cats are currently vaccinated against rabies.
- Do not let your pets roam free. They are more likely to have with a rabid wild animal.
- Avoid feeding your animals outside. This draws stray and wild animals to your doorstep.
- Teach your children not to approach wild animals and animals they don’t know.
The danger of bats
Across the Savannah River, health officials are warning about bats, which can also carry rabies.
Because it’s the time of year when baby bats are born, you may see more of them, so the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says you should be careful.
People, especially children, can be bitten by a bat and not realize it. That’s because bats have tiny teeth.
Bat exposure should be considered when:
- People wake up to find a bat in their room.
- A bat is found where children, pets or people who are impaired by alcohol or drug use or a person with an intellectual disability have been left unattended.
- A pet or person has been in direct with a bat.
A bat that is active by day, found where bats are not usually seen or is unable to fly is far more likely to be rabid, but there’s no guarantee a rabid bat will behave any differently than a healthy one.
If you find a bat, safely trap it in a sealed container and keep it cold, not frozen. Then call DHEC at 888-847-0902 (option 2).
If you see bats going in or out of a structure, seal up any entries to your living space. You can hire an experienced wildlife control operator to help.
However, don’t remove bats from May to at least mid-July, as baby bats will try to get into your living space in a desperate search for their mother.
Early spring and fall are the best times of year to exclude bats.
For more tips, visit scdhec.gov/prevent-bat-intrusion-disruption.
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