Second rabid bat discovered at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - For the second time in one month, a rabid bat was discovered at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, county authorities reported Tuesday. 
   
The live bat was discovered Sunday afternoon near the Oasis Deli in Nairobi Village. It was turned over to the county on Monday, and tests for rabies were positive, according to the Health and Human Services Agency.
   
"There has been no reported human or animal contact with this bat, but it was found in an area where many park visitors pass by, and we want to be sure that no one had contact with it,'' said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county's public health officer. "Human rabies is usually fatal without prompt post-exposure vaccine and treatment.''
   
Park officials collected the bat without contact.
  
Anyone who touched the bat or knows someone who did is urged to contact the county HHSA as soon as possible at (619) 692-8499. People who did not have direct contact with the bat, such as touching or holding the animal, are not at risk for rabies.
   
A rabid bat was also discovered at the park on June 11.
   
Rabies transmission can occur from a bat bite or if a bat's saliva comes in contact with a cut or abrasion, or with mucous membranes, such as the eyes, nose or mouth. Three rabid bats have been found in San Diego County so far this year.