Rabid bat found on San Francisco Peninsula near Portola Valley park
By Carlos E. Castañeda
A bat found near a park on the San Francisco Peninsula in San Mateo County tested positive for rabies last week, health officials said.
San Mateo County Health said in a press release that the bat was found near the Little People’s Park playground at Portola Valley Town Center on Oct. 24.
Health officials urged anyone who might have had physical contact with the bat to immediately contact their medical provider, as there is no treatment for rabies once symptoms appear.
People who were not in contact are not at risk, health officials said.
Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease caused by a virus in the saliva of infected animals. Humans and other animals, including pets, can get rabies if they are bitten by a rabid animal. It is not spread by being near a rabid animal, petting it, or through contact with the blood, urine or stool of a rabid animal.
“Encounters with rabid animals in San Mateo County are very rare, but we take every case seriously,” said San Mateo County health officer Dr. Kismet Baldwin-Santana in a prepared statement. “Never touch a bat or other wild animal, even if it looks sick or injured, and keep your pets’ rabies vaccinations up to date.”
According to the California Department of Public Health, rabies is found in about 200 mostly wild animals each year in the state and infects very few humans. Since 1980, the disease has been reported in 17 people in California. Nationally, around 100,000 people every year are vaccinated against rabies after a potential exposure.
