Vancouver Island vet clinics warn about bat encounters due to rabies
Published 10:34 am Friday, August 21, 2026
Local veterinary hospitals are warning the public that a bat found in Campbell River’s Willow Point area on July 24 tested positive for rabies.
This is according to a social media post made Wednesday by Coastline Veterinary Hospital. The post says the hospital was notified about by public health officials.
Raintree Veterinary Hospital in the Comox Valley also posted on social media on Wednesday that “a case of rabies has been confirmed in a bat in our area.”
The Mirror has not received any official confirmation about the case from the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Meanwhile, media has reported that a bat was brought in by health officials for testing in mid-July in Whistler, and results from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency came back positive for the deadly disease.
Rabies are uncommon in B.C., and public health experts closely monitor trends across the province.
Finding a single rabies-positive bat does not indicate an unusual event, as bats are a natural part of our local ecosystem and a small number may carry rabies.
There are currently no known rabies cases in humans in B.C.
The last human case of rabies in B.C. was in 2019.
The best protection is prevention:
Do not handle bats.
Keep pets’ rabies vaccinations up to date.
Seek medical advice if you think a person may have had contact with a bat.
The BCCDC notes that if you have been bitten or scratched by an animal that you think may have rabies, or if you have had contact with a bat, you should:
Immediately wash the wound well with soap and water under moderate pressure (e.g. a running tap) for at least 15 minutes, then flush thoroughly with water. This lessens the chance of any infection.
Seek medical attention from a healthcare provider or local public health unit (Find health services | HealthLink BC) immediately.
If rabies immunization is received in time, rabies in humans can be prevented. If you wait until the symptoms start to appear, it is usually too late to begin effective medical treatment.
For more information, visit the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) website.
If you have come into direct contact with a bat, contact your health care provider or Island Health’s North Island Communicable Disease Hub at 250-331-8555.