The bat was discovered near Rancho Santa Margarita Lake on the pedestrian path, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A bat found in south Orange County tested positive for rabies, the Orange County Health Care Agency reported.According to the agency, the rabid bat was found on the ground near a walking path at Rancho Santa Margarita Lake on Thursday, April 17.According to Charles Bailey, medical director for infection prevention at Providence St. Joseph and Providence Mission hosp...
The bat was discovered near Rancho Santa Margarita Lake on the pedestrian path, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A bat found in south Orange County tested positive for rabies, the Orange County Health Care Agency reported.
According to the agency, the rabid bat was found on the ground near a walking path at Rancho Santa Margarita Lake on Thursday, April 17.
According to Charles Bailey, medical director for infection prevention at Providence St. Joseph and Providence Mission hospitals in Orange County, a report of rabies is a cause for vigilance — not panic.
"Nowadays, rabies is almost exclusively a disease of wild animals," Bailey told Patch. "It used to be domestic animals, but since we vaccinate our cats and dogs so thoroughly and routinely — those are very rare."
While the condition rarely presents itself in humans —thanks to rabies vaccinations routinely administered to domestic animals, Bailey noted—a sign of rabies in the wildlife community can still present a threat to human beings.
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According to Bailey, protecting yourself from rabies is fairly simple if you know what to look for.
"Any situation where you might come into contact with bats, skunks, raccoons or foxes, be aware of your surroundings," Bailey said. "And avoid the animals, it's true that if an animal is approaching humans, there may be a clue that there's something wrong or off with the animal. Rabies would be one of the possible explanations."
He urged residents to "avoid animals that don't seem inclined to avoid you." Sick animals, however ill, should also not be touched.
"Just like you should avoid an ill-appearing bird, I would certainly avoid touching ill-appearing bats, skunks, foxes or raccoons," he said.
According to the OC Health Care Agency, cases of rabies in the country in recent years have resulted from bat strains of rabies, as bats have very small teeth and their bites may go unnoticed.
Anyone who may have had physical contact with this bat or saw someone else having contact with the bat is urged to call the Orange County Health Care Agency Communicable Disease Control Division at 714-834-8180.
Steps residents can take to minimize the risk of rabies, per the OCHCA:
More information about rabies is available at the Centers for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/.