Mary Owen/TribLocal reporter
Two bats found in Joliet in the last week have tested positive for rabies, the Will County Health Department announced Friday.
A total of eight bats in Will County have tested positive for rabies in 2010. These are the third and fourth cases in the county since Aug. 13. Confirmed cases of bats with rabies have been found in Naperville, Bolingbrook, Homer Glen and Frankfort.
On Aug. 20, health officials trapped a live bat in the bedroom of an apartment in the 300 block of Lime Street in Joliet. The five residents in the home have been advised to begin post-exposure rabies treatment, said Vic Reato, spokesman for the Will County Health Department.
Reato said it’s unknown whether any of the residents were bitten since bats have sharp small teeth that do not leave a mark.
“But, if a bat is found in a bedroom, there is no way we can typically rule out an exposure,” he said. “Exposure could have occurred when they were sleeping.”
The next day, a dead bat was found outside in the 900 block of Oneida in Joliet.
Both bats were tested by the Illinois Department of Public Health and confirmed positive for rabies on Tuesday. Reato said officials first contacted the residents on Lime Street before releasing the results to the public.
More than 90 bats have tested positive for rabies in Illinois since late February, including at least 20 since August 15.
Reato said July, August, and September are the peak months for rabies activity.
To report a bat sighting, contact the Will County Animal Control at (815) 462-5633.
