BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) urged members of the public on Wednesday to exercise precautions following sharp increases in the number of rabid bats discovered within the state and the number of possible bat exposures reported this year.
According to public health officials, testing conducted in 2026 has revealed 24 bats carrying rabies in Idaho, far surpassing the state’s total number of confirmed cases in each of the past three years, which averaged around 12. From 11 positive test results in 2025, the current figure marks an increase of 118.18% over the past 8 months.
The department also highlighted a growing number of calls made to local public health districts about possible bat exposures, noting that Central District Health, which serves Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties, has so far received more than twice as many alerts in 2026 compared to the amount received by this time last year…