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A bat tested positive for rabies in El Paso County, making it the region’s first case in 2021, public health officials reported on Saturday.
The bat was found in the Turkey Creek Canyon and Red Valley Estates area near the US Army Post Fort Carson.
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El Paso County public health officials are urging residents to keep pets vaccinated against rabies and to avoid encounters with wild animals after the positive rabies case is discovered.
Keep pets away from wildlife by keeping them on a leash. Pets should be kept indoors at night to reduce the risk of encountering wildlife, officials said.
If you or a family member is bitten or scratched by a wild or unknown animal, call your doctor and report it to the El Paso County Public Health Department at 719-578-3220 or 719-235-2278 after opening hours.
If you encounter a lost or stray dog or cat in the El Paso County area, contact the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region at 719-473-1741.
Contact an animal control or wildlife agency for help “protecting your home.” Information is also available at www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats/management
Sick animals cannot run away from people while healthy wild animals are generally afraid of humans, officials said. If a wild animal has rabies, the animal will usually act aggressively. Other times, rabid animals are too calm and passive and want to hide. If they are hiding, leave them alone. Rabid wild animals can also trip or have difficulty walking.
Report sick or sick animals in the Pikes Peak area of Colorado Parks and Wildlife at 719-227-5200.
Preventive drugs are available for people known or suspected of having been bitten by a rabid animal. It is important that people who have been bitten or scratched by a wild animal or an unknown animal contact their doctor immediately. Rabies is fatal once symptoms appear.
Rabies is a viral disease that infects the brain and other parts of the central nervous system, causing swelling and damage to the brain, and ultimately death. Rabies is spread primarily through the bite of rabid animals, which spreads the disease through their infected saliva. Rabies can also be spread when saliva from an infected animal enters open wounds, cuts, or enters the membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth.
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