Long Beach Confirms First Rabies-Positive Bat Since 2014; Officials Urge Caution
LONG BEACH — Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Long Beach health officials announced on Friday, October 2, that a bat found in the city has tested positive for rabies — the first rabies-positive bat confirmed in Long Beach since 2014. According to MyNewsLA, citing City News Service, the bat was tested Wednesday by the Long Beach Public Health Laboratory and confirmed to carry the rabies virus.
City Health Officer Dr. Cliff Okada said rabies can spread to people and pets through bites or scratches from an infected animal; the disease is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but prompt vaccination after exposure is highly effective. Officials urged residents never to handle a bat with bare hands, alive or dead, and to keep their distance and report any bat behaving strangely or found on the ground.
Residents can report bats or possible exposures to Long Beach Animal Care Services at 562-570-7387. The health department also reminded pet owners to keep dogs' and cats' rabies vaccinations current and to keep pets away from wildlife. Anyone bitten or scratched by a bat — or who wakes to find a bat indoors — should seek medical evaluation promptly.
Health specialists note that bats are California's main wildlife reservoir for rabies. Healthy bats are nocturnal and avoid people, so a bat found on the ground or indoors during the day deserves extra caution — but appearance alone cannot show whether a bat carries the virus, so any direct contact should be treated as an exposure and discussed with a doctor. Long Beach Animal Care Services handles animal control, sheltering and wildlife calls citywide; residents who find an injured bat or one trapped indoors can call the same number for guidance and should never try to catch it bare-handed. The health department is repeating the advisory on the city website and community channels, and urges schools and parents to use the news to teach children the rule: never touch an unfamiliar animal, and tell an adult right away if you see a bat.
Photo: A fine day in Long Beach, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0, Terry Lucas
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：夜间飞行的加州叶鼻蝠。摄影：Michael Durham（美国土地管理局），公有领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons
