Contact:
Jim Dale, DVM
Director, Environmental Health Services
303-271-5718 or
Dave Volkel,
Environmental Health Services
303-271-5730

Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) announced today that a bat found in Tiny Town tested positive for rabies. The bat was found at 6249 S. Turkey Creek Road, Tiny Town, Colorado. The health department is not aware of any exposure to humans.  However, residents in the Tiny Town area are advised to be on the look out for any unusual bat activity and be sure their pets are vaccinated. 
 
Dr. Jim Dale, JCPH Director of Environmental Health Services, urges pet owners to be sure their pets have current immunizations for rabies and to keep their pets from roaming free. “Vaccination is essential to protecting pets and preventing further spread of the disease,” said Dale. Unvaccinated dogs and cats that are exposed to rabies must be vaccinated for rabies and then held in strict quarantine for six months. Rabies is a fatal disease if left untreated.
 
In addition to keeping pets’ rabies vaccinations current, residents are also advised not to handle bats and to beware of any seen during day light hours. Bats that are active during the day (seen in places where bats are not usually seen, i.e. indoors, on the lawn) or any bat that is unable to fly should be considered possibly rabid and reported to the appropriate animal control agency. A dead bat that has not bitten or otherwise exposed people or pets can be disposed of safely by using a shovel to place the bat in a plastic bag. The bag should be double knotted and disposed of in an outdoor trash container.  

Rabies is an infectious viral disease that affects the nervous system of humans and other mammals. People and pets can get rabies from the bite of a rabies infected animal. Any wild mammal, such as raccoon, skunk, fox, coyote, squirrel or bat can have rabies and transmit it to people or pets through a bite. It is also possible, although rare, to be get rabies when infectious material, such as saliva from a rabid animal, gets into an individual’s eyes, nose, mouth or open wound. Bats are the most common carriers of rabies in Colorado and Jefferson County.
 
Bites and Exposures: If bitten by a bat, dog, cat, raccoon or other mammal, wash the affected area thoroughly and seek medical advice immediately. Contact local animal control agency and notify them of location of animal so the animal can undergo appropriate testing or quarantine.

For more information on animal borne disease and prevention, call Jefferson County Public Health Zoonosis Program at 303-271-5730 or 303-271-5700.

• Information is also available on the Colorado Department of Health and Environment web site: www.cdphe.state.co.us or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at www.cdc.gov.