CAMARILLO : Rabid Bat Discovery Prompts Warning

Public health officials cautioned Ventura County residents Wednesday to be wary of rabid animals after the discovery of an infected bat in Camarillo last week.

Dr. Lawrence Dodds, director of the county Public Health Services, said the rabid bat was only the fourth found in the county this year, compared with an annual average of 10 to 12 rabid bats. But the diseased bat could have bitten and infected household pets before it was found inside a Camarillo residence, he said.

Ventura County occupies a flyway used by bats during their late fall and spring migrations between Northern California and Mexico, Dodds said. About one of every 1,000 bats is infected with rabies, he said, and during migration “ill bats will fall out of the sky and into our back yards.”

Dodds recommended that dog and cat owners get their pets vaccinated against rabies to reduce risk to both the animals and humans. Although rabid bats are not uncommon, Dodds said there have been no reports of rabid pets in Ventura County for at least seven years.