{"id":749937,"date":"2026-07-08T05:58:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/749937\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T05:58:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:58:15","slug":"rabid-bat-found-in-marion-county-prompts-county-health-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/749937\/","title":{"rendered":"Rabid bat found in Marion County prompts county health warning"},"content":{"rendered":"

MARION COUNTY, Ore. (KATU) \u2014 Health officials are warning the public after a bat found in the county tested positive for rabies.<\/p>\n

The bat was found in the Marion area, according to Marion County Health and Human Services. Residents are urged to avoid contact with bats and pet owners are told to ensure that their animals are vaccinated.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO | Wildlife rehabilitator urges caution after Douglas County\u2019s first rabid bat since 2021<\/a><\/p>\n

Rabies is a potentially deadly virus that can spread to people and pets through the bite or scratch of an infected animal. While being treated soon after an exposure is effective, health officials say avoiding contact with wildlife is the best way to stay safe.<\/p>\n

Officials recommend keeping children and pets away from bats, avoiding contact with stray animals and wildlife, and making sure dogs and cats are up to date on their rabies vaccinations.<\/p>\n

Although most bats do not carry rabies, they are the animal most commonly reported with the disease in the United States, officials said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see a bat flying during the day, inside a building or on the ground unable to fly, keep your distance and contact the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife or a local wildlife control operator,\u201d health officials wrote in a press release.<\/p>\n

If you or someone else comes into contact with a bat or is bitten by an animal, wash the wound immediately with soap and water and seek medical attention. Pet owners whose animals encounter a bat or are bitten by a wild animal should contact a veterinarian right away.<\/p>\n

Tap here to learn more about rabies from the Oregon Health Authority.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MARION COUNTY, Ore. (KATU) \u2014 Health officials are warning the public after a bat found in the county…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":749938,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[79,201],"class_list":["post-749937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=749937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/749938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=749937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=749937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=749937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}