Peterborough public health reports ‘spike' in bat-related exposures
Public health officials northeast of Toronto say they've seen a 'noticeable spike' in bat-related exposures this summer.
In a news release, officials with Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Public Health urged residents to avoid handling bats amid the increase, due to the possible exposure to rabies.
'Attempting to capture a bat indoors can increase your chances of being bitten or scratched, which raises the risk of being exposed to the rabies virus,' they said.
Spread through the saliva, rabies is a viral disease which is known to infect bats throughout Ontario. As such, if you find a bat indoors and there was no direct contact, health officials say you should not attempt to capture it.
Instead, they urge residents to confine it to a room, turn the lights off, open a window and allow it to fly out on its own. If the bat does not leave, officials advise to contact a pest control professional.
If bitten, scratched, or if any physical contact with a bat occurs, officials say you should wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and immediately consult a health-care professional.
'Rabies exposure treatment, also called post exposure prophylaxis, is recommended if a bat touches or lands on you and it is possible that you were bitten, scratched, or got bat saliva in a cut, your mouth, eyes, or nose, even if you are not sure,' the news release notes.
The public health unit notes that although rabies is preventable with timely treatment, once symptoms appear it is fatal.
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