A man in New Brunswick is receiving treatment after being bitten by a rabid bat in his home. Jack Adair of Sussex Corner, N.B. says he went to his basement on Jan. 21 to find his cat tussling with a big brown bat.
“(I) never thought and I went to swat it out of the way and it hooked onto my finger and it brought the blood out of me,” Adair explained.
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Adair went to the hospital and brought the now-dead bat to be sent for testing. You can imagine his reaction when the animal tested positive for rabies.
“Shock, scared,” said Adair. “Because I never really thought there was rabies around, and now I know.”
Two humans were bitten by rabid bats in New Brunswick last year. Government officials say people should know the risks and that bats can carry the disease.
“I think that rabies occurs in bats in New Brunswick at a fairly low level, but it’s challenging to survey bats to know exact how common it is,” said Dr. James Goltz, the province’s chief veterinarian.
At the Sussex Animal Hospital, Dr. Stephen Justason says this incident raises the alarm that these types of bats are drawn to basements and attics in residential homes.
“Knowing that and knowing that people have dogs and cats that could get mixed up with these animals, I thought this is a public health concern and we should be doing proactive things about,” said Justason.
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One of those is by having your pets regularly vaccinated for rabies. Dr. Goltz says if by chance you are bitten by a wild animal, you should thoroughly wash your wound right away and seek immediate medical attention. The same goes for a pet. Get it to your nearest veterinarian as soon as possible.
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