Health department notes rise in rabies exposures in Berrien County this year

The Berrien County Health Department is tracking an increase in rabies exposures around the county this year. Department epidemiologist Sara Palmer tells us there have been no actual cases of rabies, only situations in which the health department recommends treatment. “ The health department does follow up with individuals who were bitten by animals or exposed to animals that could potentially carry rabies,” Palmer said.

“The patient’s physician is usually the one that makes a decision about whether or not the patient needs treatment, but we follow up and make sure that people have access to vaccine, and that if an animal needs to be observed for 10 days, like a dog or a cat, we can help do those things with animal services.” So, how may exposures have there been?

“W e have seen an increase in people being exposed to bats this last summer, and I think we’re at, so far at the end of September, 61 bat exposures. B ats are one of the animals that can spread rabies. Other animals we see people commonly coming into contact with that carry rabies are skunks, raccoons, foxes, and then dogs and cats that aren’t vaccinated or we don’t know if they were vaccinated or not.” Palmer says at this time last year, the county had about 20 bat exposures versus this year’s 61.

She says the reason for these bat exposures has been more bats getting into homes. A person will wake up at night to find a bat flying around the room. “ Depending on how deeply you sleep, you may or may not be aware if the bats come into contact with you, and if we can’t rule out the possibility of a bite, then we treat it as an exposure.

Rabies is always fatal, but if we get that post exposure vaccine on board quickly before any sort of symptoms would start, rabies is very preventable.” Most of the exposures identified by the health department this year have been treated. Palmer says there may be a reason so many bats have been getting into homes lately.

“ Baby bats are born in the beginning of the summer, late spring, a nd kind of late summer is when they start learning to fly, a nd they’re not always the greatest navigators. S o, they do find themselves getting into people’s spaces and closer to where people are than they normally would...W e also see increased encounters with bats when they start looking for warm places to overwinter.” Palmer says if you find a bat in your home, stay calm and try to trap it.

“T he best thing you can do is kind of step back, watch it, let it land, cover it with a container of some kind, get a lid under there, tape it shut, put some air holes in it, and then bring it to animal services. If you start trying to swing at it with something, you risk damaging it so it can’t be tested and it’s just going to keep flying around and causing chaos.” She says if there’s no chance anybody in your home was exposed, you can try to get the bat out of a door or window, but you really want to be absolutely sure there were no exposures before you do that.

It is better to test the bat for rabies than to give someone the rabies vaccine because the vaccine is expensive and a very involved process. “I t used to be that you’d have to get shots in your stomach, and I would like to reassure people that is no longer the case. A nd there used to be more shots.

C urrently, if you’re bitten and you need rabies post exposure vaccine, on the day that you show up for care, you will get what’s called immune globulin. This is pre- made antibodies. This is going to try to protect you until your immune system responds to the vaccine and produces its own antibodies, a nd that’s given around the site of the bite.

So, that’s going to be the one that’s painful. We try to give that directly around the site of the bite because that’s going to directly try to attack the virus. Then the actual vaccine will also be given on that first day.” Additional shots are administered on days three, seven, and 14.

Palmer reminds everyone they can avoid rabies by keeping away from unknown animals. Also check your home for any open areas where a bat could get in. You can learn more about rabies and rabies prevention right here.