Two bats in west St. Louis County have tested positive for rabies.
According to the St. Louis County Health Department, one of the bats was collected on June 15 from a home in Ballwin and the other on June 23 from a home in Maplewood. These are the first bats to test positive for rabies this year.
The health department reminds residents to avoid handling wildlife or any animal behaving strangely. They also advise against trying to capture live bats if they are in a home but instead confine them to the room in which they were discovered.
The health department said rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. However, if symptoms have not begun, infection can be prevented through post-exposure prophylaxis.
Click here to learn more about rabies. If you think you may have been explored to a bat, contact health department communicable disease investigators at 314-615-1630.
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