DPH Spotlights Benefits of Bats and Safety Tips Ahead of International Bat Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Oct. 21, 2024 

COLUMBIA, S.C. ― The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) is celebrating International Bat Week (Oct. 24-31) by encouraging residents to learn about the important role bats play in the environment while also being cautious in their presence.  

Bats are beneficial mammals that eat thousands of mosquitoes and other nuisance insects every day. However, bats can spread the rabies virus just like raccoons, foxes, skunks and other animals. Rabies can be fatal, but it also is preventable with treatment before the onset of symptoms. 

“This year’s Bat Week campaign is another opportunity to educate and share awareness about bats, which unfortunately, have a generally bad reputation,” said Terri McCollister, DPH’s Rabies Program director. “While bats are one of the more recognizable species that can carry and transmit the rabies virus, not every bat is infected with rabies. Bats are an important part of South Carolina's ecosystems, and they deserve a healthy degree of respect just like all wild animals.” 

Members of the South Carolina Bat Working Group have compiled a list of events during October in celebration of Bat Week. DPH would like to thank all hosts and members of the bat working group for their passion to share educational opportunities for our community members.  

As part of Bat Week, DPH will be spotlighting drawing contest entries from students on the agency’s social media platforms. For more information on the contest, visit dph.sc.gov/batweek. 

If you find yourself in the presence of a bat, it’s important to know that it’s not always possible to tell if you’ve been bitten because their teeth are small, and bites may go unnoticed.  

Unusual behavior in bats that might indicate the animal has rabies includes daytime activity, inability to fly and being found in places they are not usually seen such as in your home or on your lawn. It should be assumed a person or pet has been potentially bitten by a bat when: 

• a bat is found in a room, living space or tent where someone was sleeping; 
• a bat is found where children, pets or persons with impaired mental capacity (intoxicated or mentally disabled) have been left unattended; or 
• they have been in direct contact with a bat. 

“Usually, a person’s first reaction to finding a bat inside is to get it out,” McCollister said. “It is only after they have released it that they begin to wonder where it came from and if they could have been exposed. Typically, that is when we are called. However, we encourage people to not release bats and call us first to rule out a potential rabies exposure.”  

DPH advises that bats involved with potential human or pet exposures should be captured using precautions to prevent exposure when possible. Stay calm and contact a wildlife control operator or visit DPH’s bat webpage to learn how to safely capture a bat, and contact your local rabies prevention team by calling (888) 847-0902 (option 2), to assist with submitting specimens to DPH’s Public Health Lab for rabies testing and to address any questions or concerns you may have about rabies.  

“You can't tell if a bat or any other animal has rabies by simply looking at it; rabies has to be confirmed in a laboratory,” McCollister said. “As with any wild animal, give bats their space and call a professional wildlife control operator if bats are found inside your home or in the crevices of your eaves or roof, or in other small openings of your home. A wildlife control operator can safely remove the bats without causing them or you harm.”  

It is important, and state law requires, that pets be kept up to date on their rabies vaccination, as this is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect people and pets against the disease. DPH’s Rabies Prevention Program team members work tirelessly to ensure the safety of people and pets from rabies. They address around 14,000 animal incident reports yearly.  

Prior to this year, the last human deaths to rabies in the United States occurred in 2021; four of the five reported deaths were from infected bats. So far this year, two people have died from rabies after being bitten by a bat in the United States. The last human death to rabies in South Carolina occurred in 2011. 

If you believe a person or pet has come in contact with a bat or another animal that potentially has rabies, please call the DPH Rabies Prevention Program, anytime, at (888) 847-0902 (Option 2). Contact information including fax numbers and email addresses for your local Public Health Rabies Prevention Program offices is available at dph.sc.gov/RabiesContacts. For more information on rabies, visit dph.sc.gov/rabies or cdc.gov/rabies.  

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