COLUMBIA, S.C. - A Lexington County man who was bitten by a bat is under the care of a physician after the animal tested positive for rabies, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported today.
"The man was bitten while he was removing bats from his Harbison area home," said Sue Ferguson of DHEC's Bureau of Environmental Health.
"As is the case here, people usually know when they have been bitten by a bat,” Ferguson said. "However, bats have small teeth that may leave marks not easily seen, and some situations require that you seek medical advice even in the absence of an obvious bite wound. For example, if you awaken and find a bat in your room or if you see a bat in the room of an unattended child, or near a mentally impaired or intoxicated person, seek medical advice and have the bat tested."
According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of the recent human rabies cases in the U.S. have been caused by rabies virus from bats.
Ferguson said once the rabies virus reaches the brain, the disease is fatal to humans and animals, so the man is receiving preventive inoculations. Anyone bitten, scratched or otherwise exposed to the saliva of a rabid animal must undergo immediate measures to stop the virus from reaching the brain.
"To reduce the risk of getting rabies, it is also recommended that people avoid wild animals acting tame and tame animals acting wild," Ferguson said. "About 400 South Carolinians must undergo preventive treatment for rabies every year, with most exposures from being bitten or scratched by a rabid or suspected rabid animal. Wild animals carry the disease most often, but domestic pets can contract rabies as well.
"Therefore, to protect both the pets and their owners, we strongly encourage residents to make sure their pets are regularly vaccinated against the disease. State law requires that all pets be vaccinated against rabies.
"If you think you have been exposed to the rabies virus through a bite, scratch or the saliva of a possibly infected animal, immediately wash the affected area with plenty of soap and water," she said. "Then be sure to get medical attention and report the incident to DHEC."
This is the seventh confirmed rabid animal in Lexington County in 2009, two bats and five raccoons. Last year, there were 11 animals confirmed in the county. In 2008, there were 166 confirmed cases of rabies in animals in South Carolina. So far this year, there have been 116 confirmed cases in animals in the state.
For more information about rabies, see DHEC's Web page at: http://www.scdhec.gov/rabies, or contact DHEC’s Lexington County Environmental Health office at (803) 785-8113. The CDC's Web page about rabies can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies.