Unless they’re in the house, leave bats be

Published 11:06 pm Friday, July 6, 2007

It’s that time of the year. But remember, if a bat flies into your home, it’s only by accident.

“They’re chasing an insect and it zooms into your house,” explained Barbara Ogaard of Bothell, who is licensed by the state to rehabilitate the mammals.

“Usually it’s the youngsters who do that,” the said. “They’re like teenagers; they make mistakes.”

Mistake or not, these visits can range from annoying to potentially dangerous. About 10 percent of bats have rabies, which can be spread by a bat’s bite or scratch to both humans and pets.

The Snohomish Health District begins getting phone calls about bats at this time of year, as temperatures warm and bats become active after their winter hibernation.

Bats are seen in both rural and urban areas throughout the county, often attracted by water and the bugs that live there, said Amy Blanchard, a manager who works on communicable disease issues for the public health agency.

“So many people are so shocked; they had no idea that bats carry rabies,” Blanchard said.

“There’s probably a lot of exposures that occur that people don’t contact us about,” she said. “They don’t know that they should be concerned.”

Mostly, bats don’t want anything to do with humans, Ogaard said. They’re not aggressive. But if you see a bat on the ground, “that’s a warning sign not to touch it,” she said. “Something’s drastically wrong.”

The number of bats with rabies is relatively small. Last year, 26 bats from Snohomish County were tested for rabies, and three tested positive, Blanchard said.

If you spot a bat as it enters the house or patio area, carefully watch where the bat goes. If it doesn’t come in contact with humans or pets, there’s no reason for concern, she said. The bat doesn’t have to be captured and should be allowed to fly away.

“It’s when you didn’t see the bat enter, you have a bat in your home and don’t know how long it’s been there, or where it came from, those are the situations that are more concerning,” Blanchard said.

In the latter case, people should call the Snohomish Health District if it’s during business hours Monday through Friday.

Health district employees won’t come out and catch the bat, but they can help by telling people how to safely capture the bat, contain it, and determine whether it needs to be tested for rabies.

During evenings and on weekends, people should contact their doctor or medical clinic.

Many bat bites aren’t obvious; they’re too small to be seen, Blanchard said.

People should be especially concerned about finding bats in their homes during the day, because that’s when healthy bats sleep, she said. It can indicate they’re sick, increasing the chances for people to be bitten and possibly infected with rabies.

Bats can enter homes through tiny entryways.

“One-quarter to one-half inch is all they need,” Blanchard said. They can even scrabble under doorways.

Pets who have been exposed to bats suspected of having rabies are quarantined so they can be monitored for symptoms. The quarantine is for 45 days if they’ve had a rabies vaccination and for six months if they haven’t.

Despite these warnings, Blanchard said she wants the public to keep the bat problem in perspective.

Bats are “very good things,” she said. They can gobble up 500 to 600 bugs a night.

“We don’t want people to go around killing every bat they see,” she said.

People should only become concerned if bats “are in the wrong place, doing the wrong things,” Blanchard said.

Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.