Rabid bat found in Fremont neighborhood

By Carlos E. Castañeda

A dead bat found at a Fremont home earlier this week has tested positive for the deadly rabies virus, according to authorities.

In a press release issued Thursday, the Fremont Police Department said that Alameda County Vector Control staff responded on Tuesday to a home on Logan Drive in the city’s Glenmoor neighborhood, where the bat was found. It was collected for testing and on Wednesday, the county’s Public Health Department confirmed that the bat tested positive for the rabies virus, police said.

No human or animal exposures were associated with the incident as of Thursday, and no other rabies cases have been identified, according to police.

Vector Control is the lead county agency investigating this incident, and staffers will be going door-to-door in the area where the bat was found to notify residents, police said.

Once rabies symptoms appear in humans or animals, the virus is fatal in 100% of cases. However, deaths are preventable if the exposed person or animal receives a series of rabies vaccine shots as soon as possible after exposure. 

Authorities urged anyone who touched or may have been bitten by this bat to call the Alameda County Public Health Acute Communicable Disease Program at 510-267-3250 and immediately seek medical care. Anyone with a pet that may have had contact with a bat in this area should call Fremont Animal Services at 510-790-6635 and contact a veterinarian right away.

More information about rabies can be found at the California Department of Public Health.