A dead bat found inside a home in La Grange has tested positive for rabies.
The bat was found inside a house in the 400 block of South Edgewood Avenue on May 24. The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control subsequently informed the village of La Grange that the bat had tested positive for rabies.
The notice from the animal control department also states that the bat was determined to be rabid by the Illinois State Public Health Laboratory. It advises that anyone exposed to or bitten by a bat should contact a doctor. It also recommends that anyone taking a dog, cat or ferret outside should have it on a leash to keep it from coming into contact with wild animals.
Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The virus is present primarily in the saliva, brain tissue and spinal fluid of a rabid animal. It can affect all mammals.
Donna Alexander, administrator for the Cook County Department of Animal Control and Rabies Control, said the bat determined to have rabies was the fourth found in Cook County this year.
“It’s a concern because rabies is a fatal disease, but we talk about common sense approaches to controlling it,” she said.
Alexander said residents should make sure there are no holes or openings in their homes that bats could squeeze through. She noted that bats can get into openings as small as one-eighth of an inch.
“People should caulk around drain pipes and any entryway to their house,” she said.
They also be sure their pets, especially cats that might think its a mouse, are vaccinated against rabies.
Cynthia and Richard Schilsky, who live on Edgewood Avenue, said they had received notification that a rabid bat had been found on their block.
“A lot of people on this block have pets and small children. That’s a concern,” Richard Schilsky said.
The village’s website recommends that if anyone finds a dead bat inside their home should place a bucket over it to safely contain it (in the event that it is stunned and not dead) and then call Cook County Animal and Rabies Control at 708-974-6140. According to the village, the number is staffed 24/7 and a Cook County Animal Warden will respond within 1-2 hours. This is the only circumstance in which the county will come out and collect the bat, according to the village.
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If a resident finds a live bat inside their home, the village recommends opening a window to let it return outdoors. The resident may also call 911 and the La Grange Police Department will assist with getting the bat to leave the house.
If a bat is alive outside, leave it alone, the village advises.
If a resident finds a dead bat outside, the village recommends using a shovel with work gloves to scoop the bat into a garbage bag. Residents may dispose of the bag with their regular household garbage. They can also can call the Department of Public Works to collect it.
The most important thing in all situations is to not touch the bat, the village advises.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, more than 7,000 animals per year — -most of them wild — have been diagnosed as having the disease in the U.S. since 1995.
The public health department also reports that in 2014, the most recent year that statistics are available, two rabid bats were found in Chicago, four rabid bats were found in suburban Cook County, and six were found in DuPage County.
The county with the most number of rabid bats in 2014 was Will County, which had 11. The total number of bats with rabies found throughout the state was 40 in 2014.
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