Bay Area health officials are urging caution after a bat discovered near a Portola Valley playground tested positive for rabies – a rare but deadly virus that can infect both humans and animals.
The bat was found on Oct. 24 near the Little People’s Park playground at Portola Valley Town Center, according to San Mateo County Health.
No human or animal exposures have been identified, but officials are asking anyone who may have touched the bat to contact a medical provider immediately.
“Because there is no treatment for rabies once symptoms appear, we take every case seriously,” Dr. Kismet Baldwin-Santana, the county’s health officer, said in a statement. “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 spreads through the saliva of infected animals, typically through bites. It does not spread through casual contact, petting or proximity.
Once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal – but it can be prevented with prompt post-exposure vaccination.
The Portola Valley bat is the second confirmed rabid bat in San Mateo County this year, with another case reported in Half Moon Bay on the same day. Both incidents have been investigated, and no ongoing risk to the public remains, officials said.
Over the past decade, the county has averaged about two rabid bats per year, with the last confirmed case before this year in 2023.
Across California, about 200 wild animals – mostly bats – test positive for rabies annually, according to the California Department of Public Health. Human infections are extremely rare, with only 17 reported statewide since 1980.
Residents who encounter bats that appear sick, injured or dead should contact the Peninsula Humane Society at 650-340-7022.
Additional information about rabies prevention is available from the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This article originally published at Rabid bat discovered near Bay Area playground, health officials warn.