The Erie County Department of Health is warning residents about a seasonal increase in reported bat encounters and reminding the public that bats can carry rabies, a preventable but always fatal disease once symptoms begin. The department says any possible contact between a bat and a person or pet should be treated as a potential exposure and assessed by public health staff.
Record number of rabies treatments
Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein said the department approved 150 people for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in July — the highest total the department has recorded for that month — and that incoming calls indicate August may also set a new record. ECDOH investigators and epidemiologists evaluate each report and authorize PEP when appropriate.
When to seek help
ECDOH asks residents to contact their local health department if they:
- Find a bat inside a home, especially in a bedroom or near someone who was sleeping.
- Have direct contact (bite or scratch) with a bat or other wildlife such as raccoons, skunks or foxes.
- Find a bat in a home and cannot rule out possible contact with a person or pet.
The department emphasizes that rabies is fatal once symptoms appear and that people should not delay seeking public-health guidance.
Advice for homeowners and pet owners
To reduce the chance of bats entering a home, ECDOH recommends sealing cracks and gaps around roofs, chimneys and siding; installing screens on windows and attic vents; ensuring doors close tightly and repairing damaged weather stripping; and working with a wildlife professional to exclude bats safely if they are roosting in a house.
Households with pets should keep dogs, cats and ferrets up to date on rabies vaccination and supervise outdoor activity. The release notes that bats are the most commonly rabies-positive animal found in Erie County, and that a bat can bite or scratch a pet without owners realizing it.
If you find a bat indoors
- Do not release the bat until you have spoken with the health department; testing may be needed.
- Avoid touching the bat. If it is safe, confine it to a single room by closing doors.
- ECDOH can advise on safe capture or removal. If professional help is unavailable, the release outlines a glove-and-container method to trap a bat without damaging its head so it can be tested.
- The New York State Department of Health has a short video demonstrating safe capture of a bat.
Vaccination clinics
ECDOH said it will hold two free rabies vaccine clinics for pet owners this September, and runs additional clinics in winter and spring. The release also says Erie County will cover PEP costs authorized by the department for residents who are uninsured or underinsured.
Reportable public-health guidance and additional information are available from the Erie County Department of Health rabies page (source linked with the original release).
