Los Angeles County Records 76 Rabid Bats in 2026: Total Breaks Record as Health Officials Issue Warning
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in California has confirmed that 76 bats have tested positive for rabies in 2026, surpassing the previous record of 69 set in 2025 and setting a new high, prompting health officials to issue a warning.
In August alone, 24 rabid bats were confirmed in Los Angeles County, and nearly one-third, or 32%, of the bats submitted for rabies testing by residents during that period tested positive. According to the health department, Los Angeles County has experienced a steady upward trend in rabid bat detections for more than a decade. Statewide, 314 bats tested positive for rabies across California in 2025, compared with 229 in 2024, an increase of about 37%.
“Bats are an important part of our environment, but they can be infected with and spread rabies, a disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, the Los Angeles County health officer. In September, county health officials also confirmed a rabies-positive raccoon in Westlake Village, the first detection of a rabid raccoon in the county since 1973. A dog that may have had direct contact with the raccoon was up to date on its rabies vaccination and was placed under quarantine, and four people at a worksite who may also have been exposed were receiving recommended follow-up care.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system and can spread to people and pets through the bite or scratch of an infected animal, and through infected saliva entering an open wound or the eyes, nose or mouth; in some cases a person may not realize they have been bitten or scratched, particularly by a bat. Health officials are urging residents not to touch or handle bats and to report bats found inside homes or in locations where people or pets may have come into contact with them, and officials say dogs and cats should be kept up to date on rabies vaccination.
(GSM, based on reporting by Fox Weather)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加州叶鼻蝠夜间飞行（资料图）。美国土地管理局 mypubliclands 摄，公有领域，来源 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: A California leaf-nosed bat in flight at night (file photo), by mypubliclands (U.S. Bureau of Land Management), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
