The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is reporting two bats have tested positive for rabies in the state this year, and one of them was in Berrien County.
The Berrien County Health Department tells us when an animal tests positive, it’s usually after contact with a human.
MDHHS public veterinarian Mary Grace Stobierski says it’s not uncommon for bats to be found with rabies.
“In Michigan for the last at least three decades, by far the most commonly determined rabid animal is the bat,” Stobierski said.
Skunks are the second most common.
Stobierski says if you have contact with a bat or are bitten by any animal, it’s important to catch or keep the animal so the local health department can test it. However, prevention is always best.
“Our usual best advice is to avoid contact with wild animals and that would be thinking along the lines of don’t feed them, don’t approach them, don’t touch wild animals or stray animals.”
In cases where a person has been bitten by an animal and it’s not possible to test the animal for rabies, Stobierski says a healthcare provider will determine if that person should receive vaccination against rabies as a precaution. It’s a series of multiple shots that can be expensive, although most insurance policies will cover it.
The last time Berrien County had a bat test positive was in 2022, and contacts between bats and humans are most likely in the summer and in the fall.
The other Michigan bat to test positive for rabies this year was in St. Clair County.
