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Eek! Rabid Bats Are On the Rise in L.A. and Ventura Counties
Photo by Lord Jim via the LAist Featured Photos pool
Carmageddon, pfft! The real threat to our safety and sanity are the rabid bats that are flapping around SoCal, at the ready to bite and infect. If you believethe NY Daily News, who, with (sarcasm) zero scorn for us, warn we're experiencing a bat "take over" in L.A. and Ventura Counties.
A Moorpark man, Steve Spence, has, in fact been bitten, and his little dog, too reports the L.A. Times:
The bat was rabid and had infected Spence. His house is now under quarantine by the Ventura County Department of Public Health. He's taking vaccinations. And it turns out that his dog, Pumba, an American bulldog, was bitten too, though Spence isn't sure when or how.
This week, L.A. County officials reported that 12 rabid bats have been found here, which is an uptick from the usual eight to ten. The bats' locations are scattered around the County, in Cerritos, Glendale, Palmdale, Saugus, and Bellflower, for example. In neighboring Ventura County, 10 bats out of about a dozen collected in Moorpark alone were found to be rabid, the Star reported. Luckily, down in the OC, the rabid bat count is status quo.
Rabid bats pose a threat to humans and to pets. Dogs and cats may be tempted to play with a bat on the ground and be bitten. Vaccinations are available for pets, and shots are available to humans who have been exposed to the animals.
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