Rabid bat in Olympic National Park puts visitor, three employees in treatment

• Published July 15, 2008

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The Olympic National Park's first possible case of rabies since 1977 has struck a woman who was in the Ozette campground late last week.

The 55-year-old woman is getting rabies prevention treatment after a bat scratched her in the Ozette campground. Three Olympic National Park employees who responded to the incident are also receiving treatment.

The bat approached the woman at her campsite. She knocked the bat to the ground and got scratched. The stunned bat remained on the ground until the next morning. Park employees removed the bat for rabies testing. The rabies virus was found in the bat.

The only other known case of rabies in Olympic National Park was recorded 33 years ago in July 1975, when a child was bitten by a bat in the Elwha Valley.

According to a park press release, the risk of catching rabies in low, but the disease is fatal if not treated soon after exposure. Anyone observing unusual or aggressive behavior among park wildlife, including bats or other mammals that approach or appear fearless of humans, should inform a park ranger as soon as possible.

For more information about bats and rabies exposure. visit the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats.html, and the National Park Service Public Health Program website at www.nps.gov/public_health/index.htm.