BERLIN — The positive identification of rabies in a bat in Pocomoke Monday has prompted the Worcester County Health Department (WCHD) to remind residents that bats and other rabid animals remain a yearly danger but one that can be greatly mitigated by awareness.
Reported cases of rabies this year are far lower than the average for the past several years, but 2014 is only half over and cases do have a habit of seeing in an uptick in the summer.
The identification of rabies in a bat found near Third Street in Pocomoke marks the seventh documented case of the disease this year. That’s much lower than the 46 cases last year, the 19 in 2012, 16 in 2011, 26 in 2010 and all of those figures are shy of the 52 cases identified in 2009.
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We are one of the statistics for laboratory confirmed rabies. It was a raccoon. I can not say enough about not only Angela Richardson but Janet Tull from Worcester county as well. These ladies are spectacular. Not only very knowledgeable but so helpful and understanding to all the concerns we had.
ReplyDeleteYou almost feel like should you bother them and feel a bit silly and maybe an alarmist if you find something, but when you call you do not get this impression at all. You can tell they want you to call them and they act immediately and with efficiency.
The county and it's residents are blessed to have them.
Glad to hear they used the exclusion method, which just makes them have to go find a new place to live.
ReplyDeleteCitizens should also take heed to this, as there are now a whole lot of bats looking for new digs and hopefully it's not your house. Make sure your attic space id bat proof, they can fit through 1/2 inch x 1 1/4 inch hole.
If you get them, caulk it up and make a one way door at their main entrance. They go out every evening to feed. When they can't get back in, they go away. A simple screen flap works fine.