Animal tests positive for rabies in P.E.I. for the first time since 2009

Prince Edward Island has recorded its first rabies case in an animal in more than a decade.

A bat found in a Queens County home tested positive for the virus at a Canadian Food Inspection Agency lab in Ottawa on Sept. 13. It's the first documented case of rabies on the Island since 2009.

The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative for the Atlantic region, which runs the bat hotline, submitted the animal to the CFIA.

Regional director Megan Jones said crews were called in because the bat was behaving abnormally.

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"If it's outside flying around, [and] there's no contact with any humans or domestic animals, then there's no need to test a bat," she said.

"Usually what you need to find out is whether or not there's been direct contact between a person and a bat — or if there's been potential exposure, like if a bat is in the home of someone who is sleeping, for example.... That's when Public Health might make the call to submit it for testing."

No need for concern

Jones said bats are small animals and people might not notice if they've been bitten or scratched by one. 

Unlike most other mammals in which rabies is fatal, Jones said some bats can survive with the disease, so any of them could be carrying the virus at any time.

But she added that it's rare for humans to contract rabies from a bat, and people shouldn't be concerned.

"We do submit bats for rabies testing fairly regularly, and they're usually negative," she said. "We receive bats that die of other causes in our laboratory.... Even if there hasn't been human contact, we can do a more sort of general screening in our laboratory."

Bats are often found roosting in people's attics, Jones said. If Islanders find a bat in their home and there's no way the bat had any contact with humans, she recommends contacting a pest control company. Otherwise, residents should call her organization's toll-free bat hotline at 1-833-434-BATS (2287) or contact the provincial Fish and Wildlife Division office nearest them.

"Even if you touch a dead bat ... that could also be a reason to submit the body for testing," she said. "If you do find a bat in your home and you're not sure what to do, you can just call our bat hotline and we can help guide what to do."

The only way to reliably test for rabies in bats requires the animals to be dead. Bats are endangered in P.E.I., but Jones said public health comes first.

"We walk this line of being concerned about public health and also being concerned about conserving the bat. And so that's why every situation is a case-by-case basis," she said.

"If people are cautious and don't touch the bat, that's the best approach for everybody involved."

Jones said the bat population remains fairly stable and that she's "guardedly hopeful" they will recover.