Health officials warn about rabid bats in McHenry County

Three bats have tested positive for rabies so far this year in McHenry County, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

A total of 27 bats have been found with rabies in the entire state of Illinois, so far. Lake County has seen five tested positive for the disease. Rabies also can be found in other wildlife such as raccoons, foxes, skunks and coyotes.

The bats in McHenry County were located in Woodstock in May and in Lake in the Hills and McHenry in June, Anne Marrin of the McHenry County Department of Health, said. The Woodstock bat was found in a family’s home, which put all household residents at risk of exposure to rabies.

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that attacks the brain and nervous system. It can be treated with a vaccine to prevent infection.

Humans can get infected by getting bitten by an infected animal or if the animal’s saliva comes in contact with eyes, nose, mouth or an open wound, according to the IDPH. Bat teeth are very small, so it could be hard to know if a bite happened.

Marrin advises anyone who comes in contact with a bat to notify their doctor.

Joe Kath, of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said that typically people transmit the disease from bats when they pick one up from the ground. Bats usually die within a day of getting the disease and will fall to the ground when they are sick, he said.

“It’s human natural instinct to try and help the animal and the bat gets confused or scared, and that’s when people get bit,” Kath said. “Bats are not flying through the air and biting people.”

The summer is when bats are commonly found in people’s homes, chimneys or attics since it is bat’s maternity season. Mother bats are attracted to warm and quiet areas.

“If you find a bat in your home, it does not mean that bat is rabid but it does mean you have to act quickly,” Kath said.

He advises people to look up their local licensed nuisance wildlife control operators to humanely and safely remove the bat from their home. People can prevent bats from getting in by blocking any cracks or openings with caulk or insulation since bats do not gnaw or pull at blockages like mice or other animals do.

All bats are protected under the Illinois Wildlife Code, which makes killing or harming any bat illegal. Some species are endangered or threatened on a state or federal level, which gives them extra protection.

The little brown bat, the tricolored bat, and the Northern long-eared bat populations have decreased by over 90% in Illinois since 2006 because of a deadly fungal infection called the white-nose syndrome, Kath said.

It’s a disease that was first identified in Albany, New York, almost 20 years ago and only affects bats, according to WhiteNoseSydrome.org. To date, there is no way of curing or preventing the disease.

“They have just been decimated by white-nose syndrome,” Kath said. “The likelihood of those animals becoming extinct is very possible.”

Bat conservation is important not just to the balance of the ecosystem but for humans, as well. The nonprofit Bat Conservation International estimates that bats save U.S. farmers about $23 billion annually since they eat insects that usually damage crops.

“Bat conservation efforts are needed now more than ever,” Kath said.

Correction: This story has been updated to remove a quote from Marrin, who withdrew her statement regarding bat saliva.