Rabid Bat Found In Downtown Long Beach; LB Health Dept. Warns: Don't Touch Bats...And Call LB Animal Care Services If They Can't Fly Or Act Strangely

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Incident follows rabid skunk found in June near ELB's Millikan High, found carrying rabies virus variant acquired from a bat.

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(Dec. 5, 2014) -- A bat with rabies was recently found (Dec. 3) in downtown shoreline Long Beach ("Victory Park," Ocean Blvd/Seaside Way) and LB health officials warn the public to avoid contact with bats...and if you find one (especially during the day, in unusual places like a home, playground or anywhere on the ground) or it's unable to fly, call LB Animal Care Services immediately: it may be rabid...so (again) don't touch it.

As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, in June 2014 a skunk with rabies was found near ELB's Millikan High and had a version of the virus acquired from a rabid bat (details below.)

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[City release text] City health officials are warning the public to avoid contacts with bats, after a bat found in downtown Long Beach tested positive for rabies. The bat was found by a local resident on Wednesday afternoon, December 3, 2014 at Victory Park near Ocean Boulevard and Seaside Way. The resident did not handle the bat and immediately notified Animal Care Services. Animal Care officials recovered the bat from the park and took the animal to the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) Public Health Laboratory for testing. The bat was identified as a Mexican Free-Tail bat, one of the most common species to be reported with rabies. It is not known how long the bat had been at this location.
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"Direct contact with any bat should be avoided," says Dr. Mitchell Kushner, City Health Officer. "If you have been bitten or scratched by at bat, or have directly handled one, seek medical attention immediately and report this to Animal Care Services."
Rabies is a virus that causes a severe brain infection in mammals and humans that is usually fatal. Any wild mammal can be infected with rabies, but the disease is most commonly found in bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes. Humans can become infected through bites from an infected animal, or through contact with the saliva of an infected animal. Rabies has been rarely found in animals in Long Beach, but since the city is in the natural migration path for bats, infected bats are found approximately once per year in Long Beach. Signs of rabies in bats include: activity during the daytime (bats are usually nocturnal or active only at night), being present in a place not usually seen (such as a home, playground, or anywhere on the ground), and an inability to fly.
Direct contact with any bat should be avoided, and if a bat displaying the above behavior is found, notify Animal Care Services at 562.570.7387 to retrieve the animal for testing In situations in which a bat is physically present and you cannot reasonably rule out having been bitten or exposed, seek medical attention immediately.
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Because rabies is a fatal disease of which there is no treatment, the Health Department suggests these additional tips to prevent risk of exposure to rabies:

1. Teach your children to never touch unfamiliar animals -- wild or domestic -- even if they seem friendly;
2. Wash any wound from an animal thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately;
3. Request to have all bats tested for rabies if exposure to people or pets occurs (contact Animal Care Services);
4. Prevent bats from entering homes, schools, churches and other similar areas where they might contact people and pets. For advice on "bat-proofing" your home, contact Animal Care Services at the above telephone number; and
5. Be a responsible pet owner by keeping rabies vaccinations current for all pets.

For more information on bats and rabies, call the City’s Animal Care Services at 562.570.7387 or visit www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies.

As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, the LB Health Dept. issued the following advisory after the rabid skunk was found near Millikan High and determined to have a rabies virus variant acquired from a bat. A city release at the time stated:

[City of LB release text] While bats in the area have tested positive for rabies in past years, this was the first confirmed case of rabies in a skunk in Los Angeles County since 1979. Mexican-free-tailed bats are very common in Southern California, and are the species of bats that most commonly carry rabies in the state...
...Anyone noticing obviously ill wildlife or unusual symptoms by animals should contact Animal Care Services at 562-570-7387. The Health Department and staff from Animal Care Services remind residents that they should not try to capture or trap wildlife, and that all domestic pets should receive their scheduled rabies vaccine to prevent pets and humans from getting rabies from other animals.