Columbus Public Health notified of Rabid Bat found in Arena District on August 19, 2018
Columbus Public Health notified of Rabid Bat
found in Arena District on August 19, 2018
Anyone Who Touched the
Bat on August 19 Only should consider Rabies Vaccine
WHAT: On
Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018 around 9 p.m., a live bat was found on the sidewalk in
the 200 block at the corner of John H. McConnell Blvd. and Nationwide
Blvd. near Nationwide Arena. This bat was taken to
the Ohio Wildlife Center by the person that was walking by and saw the bat.
Columbus Public Health learned today that the bat tested positive for rabies
virus.
Anyone
who touched this bat, or had contact with a bat in that location prior to 9
p.m. on Aug. 19, should get vaccinated for rabies.
The
risk for exposure to this bat was ONLY on Aug. 19, 2018 and the risk for
exposure to this bat is gone. However, anyone who touched this specific bat or
who had contact with a bat in that area on Aug. 19 prior to 9 p.m. should contact
Columbus Public Health at 614-645-1474 - opt 2.
DETAILS: Rabies in humans is 100 percent preventable
through prompt appropriate medical care.
Rabies is a virus
that attacks the nerves and brain tissue of most mammals. The rabies virus is transmitted
through saliva or brain/nervous system tissue. You can only get rabies by
coming in contact with these specific bodily excretions and tissues.
The
first symptoms of rabies may be similar to the flu, including general weakness
or discomfort, fever or headache. These symptoms may last for days.
There
also may be discomfort or a prickling or itching sensation at the site of bite,
progressing within days to symptoms of cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion
and agitation. As the disease progresses, the person may experience delirium,
abnormal behavior, hallucinations and insomnia.
Once
clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal. Once a
person begins to exhibit signs of the disease, survival is rare.
INFO: https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/
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