The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit is releasing
tips on how to deal with bats and bat bites after a woman in the City of
Kawartha Lakes was bitten by a rabid bat in her home.
The woman, who lives just outside Lindsay, was bitten by the bat while
she slept. It was subsequently captured, and tested positive for rabies.
According to the health unit, the woman was given vaccines following
the incident and is recovering well. 

While rare, bat bites may happen more often than some would think.
“It’s rare enough, but it does happen,” Richard Ovcharovich, manager of
environmental health with the health unit, told the paper, adding there
had been half a dozen reported bat bites in the health unit’s district
this year.
“Some of them are in dwellings, and some of them are outside,”
Ovcharovich said, explaining there are a few things people should keep
in mind if they encounter one of the winged rodents.
“If you do see a bat, don’t touch it,” he said, explaining that if a bat
is inside, the best thing to do is open a window and close the door to
the room where the bat is, hoping it will find its way out of the
building.
If the bat is obviously sick or displaying strange behaviour, such as
biting itself, Ovcharovich recommends covering the animal with a trash
can or something similar and calling a pest control company or wildlife
removal company. Similarly, if a dead bat is discovered, it should not
be touched.
Rabies, which is almost always fatal if left untreated, can be
transmitted through a bat bite or scratch, to both human and animals.
The virus affects the nervous system of warm-blooded animals.
Ovcharovich said the incident is also a reminder of getting pets vaccinated against rabies, even if those pets are indoor ones. 

If you are bitten or suspect you have been bitten by a bat,  Ovcharovich
said to wash the wound right away to reduce the viral load, and then
seek medical attention, as well as to report the incident to the heath
unit at 1-866-888-4577, ext. 5006.
If you have bats living on your property and want them removed, contact a pest control or wildlife removal company.
The health unit also recommends the bat-proofing of homes, which can be
done by calling a specialized company, or done by one’s self by
examining one’s home for holes where a bat might enter, and filling
those holes with caulking. Bats can fit through openings larger than a
quarter-inch by a half-inch.