Los Angeles County reported 69 rabid bats. What you need to know

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Set us as preferred Public health officials say Los Angeles County is experiencing an alarming influx of rabid bats — matching the highest number ever recorded before peak season is even over.But experts who study the pointy-eared winged creatures say that, although residents should practice caution, the odds of getting rabies from a bat remain very low.Earlier this week, officials said they’d detected 69 rabid bats, matching last year’s record.

However, peak season — which occurs at the end of the summer and the beginning of fall — is still underway.Of the 69 rabid bats recorded this year, 68% were found in the Santa Clarita Valley, consistent with trends seen over the last decade, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.Most of the rabid bats were canyon bats — a species that is common to deserts, woodlands and shrublands, where they roost among boulders or in the cracks and crevices of rock faces, according to Bat Conservation International.Officials believe rabies may be circulating intensely within that local population.

“If one bat has rabies, it’s possible to spread it to other members of the colony if they’re a particularly social species,” said Joseph Nikko Curti, a postdoctoral fellow in the Blakey and Tingley labs at Cal Poly Pomona and UCLA, respectively.Rabid-bat detections vary from year to year, but Los Angeles County has seen a steady upward trend in the number of rabid bats for more than a decade.

“Bats are an important part of our environment, but they can be infected with and spread rabies, a disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear,” said Dr.Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County health officer.

“If you find a bat indoors or think you may have had contact with one, contact your medical provider or Public Health right away.” Rabies is a rare but...