Bat Problem In Minnesota?
Rabies is the only serious public health hazard associated with bats, but its impact has been vastly exaggerated. Florida was the first state to report a case of bat rabies in 1953. By 1978, rabies had been reported in 30 of the approximately 40 bat species normally found in the contiguous United States. No increase in the rate of infection has been detected since that time. In the past 55 years, there have been only 44 human fatalities in the United States and Canada attributed to actual bites of rabid bats. Far more people die every year from dog attacks, bee stings, power mower accidents, or even from being struck by lightning. Unfortunately, newspaper reports and television coverage of bat bites are often sensational, exaggerated, and grossly inaccurate, perpetuating misleading information. Such misleading accounts often elicit intense public reactions that generate vociferous demands for complete bat destruction.
Rabies And Bats
The truth is, there are only six species of bats known to have transmitted the rabies virus to humans. The most common bat house bat throughout most of the U.S., the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), has never been implicated in a human rabies case, and the next most common, the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), has been implicated in only one case. Most other cases stem from non-colonial, tree roosting species unlikely to ever use bat houses. Airborne transmission of rabies was suspected during the 1950’s in two biologists exposed to millions of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) in Frio cave in Texas. As the biologists were shown to have been exposed to the rabies virus through other bodily fluids, airborne transmission between bats and humans could not be proven. Aerosol rabies transmission between bats and other animals has been found to occur in very extreme conditions known to exist in only one cave environment in the world. Aerosol rabies transmission is not a public health hazard with house bats.
Nevertheless, any bite from a wild mammal should always be considered as a potential for rabies exposure. Any bite or scratch wounds should be immediately and thoroughly washed with soap and water. Any bat that has bitten a person or pet should be captured, without destroying the head, and placed in a cloth or plastic bag. Bats should be transported under refrigeration (not frozen) to the nearest health laboratory for examination. Any time a bat bite is suspected (or if a bat is found in a room with a infant or impaired individual who cannot deny a bite exposure) a doctor or public health department should be contacted in order to obtain the post-exposure rabies series immediately.
Bats Disease And Guano Related Concerns
It’s true, bats can carry and transmit disease, and about 1% of bats carry rabies and some may carry lice. However, looking at the big picture, these odds are small and bats are more beneficial than harmful, as long as they’re not in buildings. Regarding diseases other than rabies, according to the C.D.C. (Center For Disease Control) bats are natural reservoirs, or vectors of several zoonotic infections. These include: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) Henipavirus, Nipah, and Hendra. Regarding Guano, Hystoplasmosis can be a scare with bats – but in a building, it is not typically a concern. This is because the right conditions must be present to produce this zoonotic infection. If you lived in a damp cave or in the wet, humid sewer systems of a large city, we would be more concerned, but not as concerned when talking about the hot dry attic or ceiling of a building. Just the same, it is important to know that Hystoplasmosis is a serious respiratory disorder that can kill you. Guano MAY produce a mold. That mold MAY produce a fungus. That fungus MAY produce a spore. That spore MAY produce hystoplasmosis. And then, hystoplasmosis MAY kill you or MAY give you ocular hystoplasmosis. But typically, concerns about this are overstated and unfounded. Evict the bats and clean up as much guano as possible is the mission.
The outbreak of the deadly SARS epidemics in 2002 and 2003 infected more than 8,000 people in 26 countries across the world, causing 774 deaths. Earlier studies on the epidemics showed that masked palm civets could be a natural host for the virus. Started from March 2004; the research team has collected samples of the blood serum, throat and faecal swabs from 408 bat individuals in four regions across China, which falls into nine species in six genera in three families.
Extreme care should be taken when attempting to catch a bat(s) if your home is currently under attack by bats it is wise to call a professional. A Minnesota Wild Animal Management had experience in handling bat removals. Hiring a professional will guarantee the safety of you and your family along with preventing these bats from returning.
