Rabid bat in Sandoval County prompts New Mexico health warning

A bat found in a private home in Sandoval County tested positive for rabies, and everyone and every animal exposed is receiving post-exposure vaccines. The state posted its warning on July 6, 2026, after the bat was euthanized and sent to the New Mexico Department of Health Scientific Laboratory Division for testing.

The case was the ninth animal rabies case reported in New Mexico in 2026. For Valencia County households, the immediate message is simple: do not pick up bats, do not touch them with bare hands and do not let pets play with them.

Anyone who wakes up to find a bat in a bedroom, or anyone who cannot reliably rule out contact with a bat, should get a rabies vaccination. Pet owners are being told to keep animals current on vaccinations and to make sure collars carry vaccination tags. Sick or unusually behaving wildlife should be reported to local animal control or the state wildlife department.

Rabies can be prevented with vaccination and post-exposure prophylaxis, but once symptoms begin there is no cure and symptomatic rabies is almost always fatal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says bats are the most reported rabid animals in the United States, and most U.S. rabies deaths have involved exposure to bats.

NMDOH’s animal-rabies dashboard listed eight cases as of June 18, 2026, before the Sandoval County bat was added, including bats, bobcats, dogs, skunks and foxes. The first New Mexico rabies case of the year came March 16, when a bobcat in Sierra County tested positive after attacking several dogs. The state has 25 bat species, and bats, skunks and foxes are the main rabies reservoirs in the state.