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Will County issues rabid bat warning
By Tom RybarczykTribune staff reporter
Published June 28, 2006, 3:07 PM CDT

Will County Animal Control officials are warning south suburban residents to watch out for rabid bats after one of the animals bit an 87-year-old Peotone man over the weekend.The incident occurred late Saturday afternoon as the man tried to protect what he thought was a baby bird from his dog, officials said. But when he reached to grab it, the bat clamped down on his finger, drawing blood.The man captured the bat and stuck him in a jar, and then went to Riverside Medical Center, Kankakee, to be treated, said Dr. Lee Schild, Will County Animal Control Administrator.Animal control workers got the bat the next day and sent it to the Illinois Department of Public Health office in Chicago. A state laboratory reported the bat tested positive for rabies, Schild said."I guess the scary thing to me here is a lot of people might not be aware that you can get the rabies from bats," Schild said. "There is a problem out there, and it is for real and it does pose a real threat."Rabies attacks the central nervous system and can be fatal if not treated in time, he said.The Peotone bat was the second this year found with rabies by authorities. Officials do not believe a bat found earlier this month in rural Frankfort Township spread the virus to another animal or person.