Alright, Bangor. Who Touched the Rabid Bat?
The Maine CDC is still looking for individuals who handled a bat last week in Bangor.
As you can recall, during the weekend of March 16-17, a bat was found near the Shaw house, located in Bangor on Union Street and First Street. The live bat was passed around by a bunch of people.
The Maine CDC later tested the bat which came back positive for rabies.
It is suspected that there are more people out there that need to seek treatment due to handling the bat with bare hands and are at risk of exposure to rabies.
Rabies is fatal if contracted by humans BUT preventable if treated early. That means if you are reading this and touched the bat you need to be treated ASAP!
Behavior from bats that exhibit rabies include flying around during the day, being easily approachable and being unable to fly.
If you touched the bat, contact your primary care provider and/or contact the Maine CDC directly at 1-800-821-5821.