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Polk County administrator reports first confirmed rabid bat since 2014 after human encounter
Summary
County Administrator reported a bat that tested positive for rabies—the first confirmed in Polk County since September 2014—after an encounter with a human; public health will issue a release with safety guidance.
During the Aug. 20 Polk County Board meeting, the County Administrator reported that a bat tested positive for rabies following an encounter with a human, the first confirmed rabid bat in Polk County since September 2014.
The administrator said the county's public-health team tested the bat and that a public release from the county health group was expected that day. "This was following an encounter with a human," the administrator said, and added that the last four human rabies cases in Wisconsin (1959, 2002, 2004 and 2010) were all acquired from infected bats.
County staff and public-health officials will distribute guidance and next steps to anyone who may have been exposed. The administrator did not provide additional clinical details in the meeting; the board was told to expect a public release from the county health office.
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