ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Two bats recently discovered in St. Louis County homes have tested positive for rabies.
The Saint Louis County Department of Public Health reports the bats were collected from homes in Ballwin and Maplewood on June 15 and June 23 respectively.
Public health officials say these are the first two bats to test positive for rabies in St. Louis County this year.
The department did not report any bat bites, though asks residents to take caution if you notice a bat in your home or an unusual spot.
The CDC says rabies is a potentially fatal disease when contracted by humans.
In wake of the discoveries, St. Louis County health officials remind people to avoid direct contact with or handling all wildlife or any animal that is behaving strangely and make sure your pets are properly vaccinated against rabies.
Public health officials say most healthy bats are not infected with rabies, only around 1-3%, though the prevalence of it is higher in bats acting abnormally, such as flying during daytime, flying erratically or flopping on the ground.
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