A bat found near Little People’s Park playground at the Portola Valley Town Center on Oct. 24 has tested positive for rabies, according to San Mateo County Health. As of Thursday afternoon, there had been no reports of people or other animals exposed to the fatal disease.
Health officials ask anyone who had physical contact with the bat to immediately contact their medical provider to determine whether the exposure requires treatment. Those who were not in contact with the bat are not at risk.
Rabies is a disease that is caused by a virus in the saliva of infected animals and is fatal but preventable. Once symptoms appear, there is no treatment, according to the county.
For the past 11 years, there have been an average of two bats per year that have tested for rabies in the county. A second bat with rabies was found in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 24. Before that the last case was in 2023.
“Encounters with rabid animals in San Mateo County are very rare, but we take every case seriously,” said Dr. Kismet Baldwin-Santana, San Mateo County health officer, in a press release. “Never touch a bat or other wild animal, even if it looks sick or injured, and keep your pets’ rabies vaccinations up to date.”
Rabies can spread to humans and other animals if they are bitten by a rabid animal or if the saliva or brain tissue from the infected animal makes contact with broken skin, eyes, nose or mouth. It cannot be transmitted by being near a rabid animal, petting it, or through contact with the urine or stool of the animals.
According to the California Department of Public Health, rabies is found in about 200 animals every year. Since 1980, the disease has been reported in 17 people in California. Across the country, about 100,000 people per year are vaccinated against rabies after potential exposure.
When the county finds that an animal has tested positive, disease investigators determine whether anyone has been potentially exposed. If those individuals cannot be determined, the county posts a notice to the public.
The county advises anyone who spots a bat that appears to be sick, injured or dead to report to to the Peninsula Humane Society at (650) 340-7022.
For more information on rabies, visit the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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