Action Taken With Rabid Bat In Plattsburgh City

 

 PLATTSBURGH CITY, NY - 8/29/25

In a previous post I discussed an incident with a dead bat found at the Plattsburgh Public Library ( https://writog.blogspot.com/2025/08/rabies-and-dead-bat.html .)  The bat had been hanging on a wall for a few days before it dropped dead on a ledge.  The Clinton County Health Department was contacted.  It told the library to dispose of the bat: there was no reason to test the carcass for rabies because the bat hadn't bitten anyone (or so it had assumed.)

The health department has published a media release reporting a city resident found a bat acting strangely in his front yard ( https://health.clintoncountyny.gov/BulletinsPress/PR08282025.pdf .)  The bat was removed and was sent out for testing. On 8/27/25 the CCHD was informed that the rabies test was positive.

The news release warns: "A person can be bitten by a bat or exposed to its saliva and not know it. Bats have small sharp teeth, which may not leave a visible bite mark, and a bite from a bat during the night may not awaken a sleeping person."

Good to see action being taken with this incident.  But the question remains: was the dead bat at the library also rabid?  Why wasn't it tested?  Any suspicious or dead bats should be tested to see how far rabies is spreading in the region.