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Article: FIXIT; Have a bat? You might need rabies shots.(SOURCE)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- September 5, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Karen Youso; Staff Writer
Q - I had a bat indoors briefly. It seemed to find its way out before I had to do anything. But I realized that I didn't know what to do if it had stuck around. Now, I've been told that if a bat is in the house overnight, I'd need rabies shots. Is that true?
A - That's not exactly true. If you wake up and find a bat in your room, you need to capture the bat for rabies testing, even though only 1 to 4 percent of bats actually have rabies. If it's not tested, or a test comes back positive, you'll need rabies shots, said Dr. Kirk Smith, epidemiologist at the Minnesota Department of Health. The same holds true if you see a bat in the room ...