The Van Buren Cass District Health Department says it has been notified of a bat in the county that tested positive for rabies. It was found in the 49065 zip code, which is near Lawton and east of Decatur. The department was told of the bat on September 16. This is the first rabid bat identified in Van Buren County since 2016, and according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the number of positive cases of rabies in bats is higher this year than in past years. Rabies is most commonly found in bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. Unvaccinated pets and livestock can also be infected. The health department says symptoms of rabies infection in animals include nervousness, aggressiveness, excessive drooling, foaming at the mouth, and abnormal behavior, which could include wild animals losing their fear of human beings or nocturnal animals being active in the day. Everyone’s advised to contact the Van Buren Cass District Health Department for further information and guidance if they think they have had rabies exposure in either humans or animals.
