(BINGHAMTON, NY) - Each year, during the spring and summer months, the Broome County Health Department (BCHD) experiences an increase in bat and human encounters. The risk of exposure to the rabies virus through bats can be reduced by vaccinating your pets and maintaining the exterior of your home.
The need for rabies post-exposure treatment after a bat encounter can be minimized by safely capturing and testing a bat. If a bat enters your home and comes into contact with you, your pets, or is found in a room with a child or a sleeping person, it needs to be tested. Do not release the bat; capture it.
Bats can be safely collected by wearing gloves and using a coffee can or similar container and piece of cardboard. Take care to prevent further exposure and to prevent damage to the animal’s head. Once captured, contact the BCHD at (607) 778-2847 during normal business hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday–Friday). If the bat is captured after hours, on a weekend, or on a holiday, keep it cool but not frozen (refrigerator temperature of 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal).
If you see a bat in your home and you are certain that there was no contact with a person or pet (for example, if you saw the bat fly in the house and never lost sight of it), close interior doors, open the exterior doors and/or windows, and watch the bat until it leaves.
BCHD cannot assist in physically removing a bat. If you are unable or unwilling to capture the bat, contact a professional for assistance with removal. If the bat is not successfully captured, contact BCHD during normal business hours to consider the possible need for rabies treatment. There is no immediate need to receive rabies treatment after a potential exposure.
To view a video on how to catch a bat safely and find additional information, please visit broomecountyny.gov/eh/rabies. By collecting and testing the bat, we can avoid the need to unnecessarily provide rabies treatment, conserve limited vaccine supplies for true exposures, and protect the health and well-being of the community.
