ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A bat found at a Clayton home last week has tested positive for rabies.
The St. Louis County Department of Public Health announced the positive test on Thursday. The bat, which was collected on April 21, is the first bat to test positive for rabies in St. Louis County this year.
No one reported being bitten, but two people decided to take post-exposure treatment, including a rabies vaccine, as a precaution.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease that is typically transmitted through a wild animal's bite. It is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, but can be prevented prior to symptoms through post-exposure treatment.
Only 1-3% of healthy bats are infected with rabies, DPH said, but the prevalence is higher in bats exhibiting strange behavior such as being active in daytime, erratic flying or flopping on the ground.
Due to local bats' small, needle-like teeth, it can be difficult to tell if one was bitten.
Here's what DPH said to do if you find a living or dead bat in your home:
- Do not attempt to capture a live bat. Instead, confine it to the room where it was discovered.
- Never release a bat found in a home if it was present where people were sleeping or if it was in a room with anyone who cannot describe the nature and extent of their exposure.
- St. Louis County residents should call DPH Animal Care and Control immediately so animal control officers can collect the bat for possible rabies testing.
- If you think you may have been exposed to a bat, St. Louis County residents can call DPH communicable disease investigators (314-615-1630) to discuss the possible need for rabies vaccine.
DPH Animal Care and Control can be contacted at 314-615-0650 during regular business hours (Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.). After business hours, call 636-529-8210.
In May of 2022, a Ballwin man became the first county resident to be bitten by a bat that was later found to have rabies. He received treatment including a vaccine and rabies immunoglobin.
More information on rabies is available on the Center for Disease Control's website.
