Dog Exposed To Rabid Bat In Lakewood
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) — A bat found in Lakewood tested positive for rabies, officials reported Friday.
The bat, which was found near Morrison Road and Wadsworth Boulevard, tested positive on Wednesday.
The bat had no known human exposures, however, one dog was exposed. The dog is current on its rabies vaccine, officials said, but its owner has been advised to get it a rabies booster shot and place it under a 45-day home observation period.
It is the first bat to test positive for rabies in Jefferson County so far this year.
"Though this is the county's first rabies-positive bat, skunk rabies continues to be a concern across the Metro Denver area, with 14 skunks testing positive for the disease this year in Jeffco," Jefferson County Public Health officials stated.
Colorado has already seen more rabies-positive animals in 2018 than in all of 2017 -- and peak rabies season is far from over, officials warn.
The rabies virus, which is transmitted from infected animals through contact with their saliva or through bites, is nearly always fatal to animals and can be fatal to humans if left untreated.
To report a suspicious or dead animal or an animal bite, please contact your local animal control agency, or Jefferson County Animal Control at 303-271-5070.
For more information about rabies, please contact JCPH's Animal Borne Disease Program, part of the Environmental Health Services Division, at 303-232-6301, or visit www.jeffco.us/2365.
