Shawano County bat tests positive for rabies, health alert issued

A bat in Shawano County tested positive for rabies, and the Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department is warning households across both counties to treat any bat inside a home, garage, shed or cabin as a potential exposure. The June 26 alert was the first confirmed rabies case in a Shawano County bat this year. Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal.

Rabies spreads from infected mammals to people, usually through a bite, but scratches and saliva on broken skin can also transmit the virus. Bat encounters deserve special caution because a bite or scratch can be so small it goes unnoticed; if a bat was in the same room with a sleeping person or a child who could not say whether contact happened, treat it as a possible exposure. If the bat can be safely captured, it should be held for testing rather than thrown away.

For Menominee County residents, the shared health department is the first call. The office is at 311 N. Main St., Room 102, in Shawano, and the main number is 715-526-4808. During off-hours, animal bite calls may go to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Dept. at 715-526-3111. Anyone bitten or scratched should wash the wound with soap and water and contact a health care provider promptly about whether rabies post-exposure treatment is needed.

Vaccinate dogs, cats, ferrets and livestock against rabies, and domestic animals exposed to rabies can become a direct threat to people, especially if they are unvaccinated. If a pet has been near a bat or another wild animal, a veterinarian should be contacted right away so vaccination status and next steps can be reviewed.