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SALT LAKE CITY — A bat found at Pioneer Park tested positive for rabies Tuesday, according to the Salt Lake County Health Department.
The county's animal control department collected the bat on Sept. 27, after "people assumed to be experiencing homelessness informed the animal services officer that members of the unsheltered community had handled the bat, potentially for an extended period," a health department press release said.
Officials are canvasing the park Wednesday, distributing flyers and searching for anyone who might have been in contact with the diseased bat, so they can receive medication to prevent infection.
Rabies is a viral disease that targets the nervous system of mammals, according to the health department. It is commonly transmitted from a bite or scratch, and "bat scratches can be so tiny that people sometimes don't know they have been scratched, which is why any contact with a bat confirmed to have rabies is considered an exposure," according to the release.
Feces, blood and urine do not transmit rabies.
The health department is asking anyone who touched or was touched by a bat to call 385-468-4222 (Option 4) immediately. If someone is experiencing homelessness, officials say they can go to the Fourth Street Clinic, at 409 W. 400 South, or any hospital emergency department.
Treatment with rabies immunoglobulin must be undergone before symptoms appear, including "insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, increase in saliva, difficulty swallowing and fear of water."
It is illegal to harm bats, which are protected under state law because they are "valuable to our environment and an essential component of our ecosystem — they provide pest control, pollinate plants and disperse seeds," according to the release. If a bat is seen in an unusual location, officials urge residents to call their local animal control service.
"It is normal to find them hanging upside down on the side of buildings or in trees. A bat roosting on the exterior of your home and behaving normally is not a threat, and you should leave the bat alone," the release says.
