Cook County Warns Park Ridge After 1 Rabid Bat Is Found

Q: Why might you need rabies shots after finding a bat in your home, even without a visible bite?

You may need rabies shots after finding a bat in your home because a bat can expose someone to rabies without leaving an obvious bite mark. Health officials warn that bat bites and scratches can be so small they are hard to see or may not be felt at all. That is why a bat found in a home, especially in a room with a sleeping person, a child, or someone unable to reliably say whether contact happened, is often treated as a possible rabies exposure. That caution matters because rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. The good news is that it is highly preventable if post-exposure treatment starts quickly. That treatment typically includes immediate wound washing, rabies immune globulin, and a series of vaccine doses. The recent Park Ridge case underscores the risk. Officials confirmed the bat tested positive for rabies and said a person was exposed. Public health authorities in Illinois advise people not to handle bats, to try to safely contain one for testing if possible, and to contact animal control or the local health department rather than releasing it. If a bat is found in your home and there is any chance of contact, medical evaluation should happen right away even if no bite is visible. If the bat tests positive, or cannot be tested, doctors and public health officials may recommend rabies shots as a life-saving precaution.

Q: If bats cause rabies scares, which animal causes over 90% of human cases?

Dogs cause more than 90% of human rabies cases worldwide. The Park Ridge case involves a bat, and in the United States bats are a leading source of human rabies exposure because their bites can be hard to detect. But globally, the overwhelming majority of human rabies infections are linked to dog bites, not bats. The supporting material identifies dogs as the primary source of human rabies transmission and notes they account for about 91.6% of cases in studied regions. That aligns with broader public health guidance that dog-mediated rabies remains the main driver of human deaths from the disease. The practical takeaway is that both risks matter in different settings. In the U.S., any possible bat exposure should be treated urgently because rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. Worldwide, controlling rabies in dogs through vaccination is the most important step in preventing human cases. Anyone who may have been bitten or exposed to saliva from a potentially rabid animal should wash the area immediately and seek medical care without delay.

3 articles · Updated · NBC Chicago · May 21

Cook County Animal and Rabies Control warned Park Ridge residents after a bat found Tuesday in the 1100 block of South Rose Avenue tested positive for rabies.
7 in 10 U.S. rabies deaths follow contact with infected bats, the CDC says, and the virus is usually spread through bites or scratches.
Officials urged residents not to handle sick or dead bats or other wild animals, and to wash any bite or scratch with soap and water before seeking immediate medical care.
Rabies is nearly always fatal once symptoms appear, officials said, while pets should be kept current on vaccinations and sick, injured or dead wildlife reported to county animal control.