County seeks victims who had contact with infected bat at SD Zoo Safari Park

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - County public health officials Sunday were looking for people who may have come in contact with a non-resident bat found at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park almost a week ago.

On Sept. 23 around 2:15 p.m., a wild bat who tested positive for rabies and later died at a rehabilitation facility was collected by an employee in the Africa Tram area of the park, according to the County of San Diego Communications Office.

The County Public Health Laboratory confirmed that the bat was infected with rabies. Officials urged anyone who was in the area of the Africa Tram on Sept. 23 and had direct contact with a bat before 2:15 p.m. to contact County Public Health Services as soon as possible

"Park visitors who had no physical contact with the bat are not at risk for rabies," officials said.

"Human rabies is usually fatal without prompt post-exposure vaccine and treatment," San Diego County Public Health Officer Dr. Ankita Kadakia said. "Rabies transmission can happen from a bat bite or if a bat's saliva comes in contact with a cut or abrasion, or with mucous membranes, such as the eyes, nose or mouth."

The county said officials have detected five rabid bats throughout the San Diego region in 2024. There are many species of bats found in San Diego County who feed on insects such as mosquitoes. Other bat species feed on nectar from plants and pollinate them in the process.

County officials advised that if you come in contact with a bat to wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and get medical advice immediately.

Rabies is a preventable viral disease that is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Symptoms in humans can take weeks to months to develop. Once symptoms develop, rabies is usually fatal, but prompt post- exposure treatment following exposure to the virus will prevent the disease, officials said.

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