BOISE -- A man fishing west of Hailey, Idaho is undergoing treatment after encountering an aggressive bat that tested positive for rabies.
The Blaine County man was fishing in a tributary of the Wood River when a bat began flying around him. When the man decided to quit fishing and head home, he began packing up his gear and found the bat attached to his life vest. He was able to get hold of the bat and call Idaho Fish and Game.
The bat was then sent to the Idaho Department of Heatlh and Welfare in Boise for testing -- where it did test positive for rabies.
Rabies can cause a deadly viral illness if people who are scratched or bitten by an infected animal don't receive a rabies vaccine.
While this bat was the second in the state to test positive for rabies, it is the first to test positive in the South Central Public Health District. Last year, eight bats tested positive in Idaho.
"Bats and other mammals can carry rabies, making it extremely important for people to avoid bats or other animals, wild or domestic, that may appear sick or are acting aggressive or in an abnormal manner," says Dr. Leslie Tengelsen, Deputy State Epidemiologist. "People should not pick up or touch any bat. People should call their health care provider immediately if they have been bitten or scratched by a bat. Medical therapy administered to people soon after a possible rabies exposure is extremely effective in preventing rabies."
The Department of Health and Welfare says most bats are harmless and do not carry rabies, but they are the only animal in the Gem State that naturally carries the virus. Animals, including household pets, who come into contact with a rabid bat, can pick up the virus. Rabies is deadly to animals.
The Blaine County fisherman who came into contact with the rabid bat near Hailey, Idaho did begin medical treatment, which is highly effective against rabies exposure.
