Rabid bat found in home; Naperville family urged to get rabies shots

Five Naperville residents have been advised to seek rabies treatment after a bat found flying in their home was determined to be rabid, authorities said.

A family of two adults and three children living in a house on the 1300 block of Conan Doyle Drive reported the bat to Naperville animal control, which trapped it Aug. 12.

Renee Heraty told ABC 7 Chicago she and her husband were fast asleep in their Naperville home when they were startled by the bat flying around in their bedroom.

By Aug. 13, the bat was confirmed as rabid, according to the Will County Health Department.

Heraty told ABC 7 she is not sure how the bat got in the house, but she the family is not taking any chances.

"We had wildlife come out today and they're going to go around the close up all the holes so that it doesn't happen again," Hearty said.

Because rabies is such a dangerous virus to humans, health department officials recommended family members all receive rabies shots, said Vic Reato, media services manager.

"Since (bats) do carry rabies and untreated rabies is almost certain death in a human, it's most prudent to recommend the post-exposure" treatment, Reato said.

The treatment is not as painful as it once was, when a series of rabies shots were given in the stomach. Reato said the post-rabies treatment now includes a series of shots given in a span of two weeks, with the number of shots depending on the person's condition after their rabies exposure. Shots are now injected into the arm.

"It's not nearly the ordeal it once was," Reato said.

Reato said it is possible the Conan Doyle Drive residents were exposed to rabies, which can be transferred through a bite or a scratch from an infected animal.

"When you have a bat flying around late at night when people theoretically are asleep, that raises a red flag," he said. "Their teeth are literally so small that they could scratch you or bite you and you could not see the bite, and if you're asleep, maybe not feel the bite as well."

ABC 7 said the Heratys were to get their first round of shots Tuesday.

The Naperville report of a rabid bat was the 11th this year in Will County. The county's record is 13 rabid bats in one year, which Reato said could be broken because August and September are the most common months for bats to sneak inside buildings.

Joanne Aul, Naperville animal control supervisor, said that's because young bats are becoming ready to fly and getting on the move before the colder months.

"They're getting ready to hibernate or finding a different spot and they end up in the homes then," Aul said.

Bats' ability to squeeze into tiny openings also helps them become a nuisance and potential health concern inside suburban homes.

"Bats are pretty much mice with wings," Reato said. "They can get into very small crevices."

Anyone who sees a bat flying inside a home should call animal control, said Lee Schild, a veterinarian and Will County's animal control administrator. People also should call animal control if they see a bat outside that is low to the ground, showing abnormal behavior or is unable to fly, Schild said.

Will County animal control can be reached at (815) 462-5633 and Naperville animal control is at (630) 420-6178.

"Natural instinct is to assist and help, but that's not wise," Schild said. "They definitely do not need to be handled."

The presence of one rabid bat doesn't necessarily mean more are in the area. Schild said roughly 1 to 2 percent of the bat population is infected with rabies, but it usually does not spread from bat to bat among colonies.