rabies Alert:โ L.A. County Records Second-Highest โฃNumber of Rabid Bats
Los Angeles County health officials are urging caution as the region experiences a surge in rabidโฃ bat cases. To date โin 2025, the Los Angeles County Departmentโข of Public Health has confirmed 61 rabid bats,โค marking theโค second-highest total โever recorded, surpassed only by the 68 cases found in 2021.
“Bats are vital to our habitat, but they can also carry rabies, a disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear,” stated Muntu Davis,โ Los Angeles county health officer, in aโฃ recent department news release. “Anyone โฃwho may have had contact with a bat should promptly speakโค with their medical provider or contact public health.”
Residents are advised to immediately report any bat found indoors, or any bat exhibiting signs of illness outdoors – including being unable to fly, active duringโฃ the day, or found deceased – to Animal โControl. Exposure toโข rabies occurs when saliva or tissue from a rabid bat โenters the body through a bite,scratch,or contact with a wound,mouth,nose,or eyes.
Becauseโ bat bites canโ be small and easily overlooked, anyone who โawakens to find a bat in their room, or near a sleeping person, child,โ or pet, should consider it a potential exposure and contact their local animal control.โ It is indeed crucial not to โrelease โฃthe bat into the wild; itโค should be safely contained and collected for rabies testing.
The number of rabid bats typically peaks in late summer. In August 2024, 23 rabid bats were identified.The Santa Clarita Valley has been particularly affected, withโข Canyon Bat species representing the majority of confirmed cases.
The Veterinary Public Health division โis actively working to raise public awareness and encourage reporting of potential exposures.โข Approximately 14% of bats that come intoโฃ contact with people or petsโ in L.A. County โฃtest positive forโค rabies, a rate that increases to around 33%โค during late summer.
To โprotect yourself and your family, health officials reccommend the โคfollowing:
* If you โfind aโข bat in your home, cover it with aโ box or container, especially if it’s near โคa sleepingโ person or pet. โCall Animal Control for collectionโข and do not โrelease it.
* Seek immediate medical โattention for rabies treatment if a bat cannot be tested orโข if itโ tests positive for the virus.
* Vaccinate your pets against โrabies, as the โdisease is fatal to animals once symptoms develop.
* Beโ aware of the signsโ ofโ illness inโ bats: those โfound on the ground, unable to fly, or active during the day may โขbe sick.
The public โคis strongly advised to never touch a bat or allow pets to interact โขwith โฃthem.