Public health officials are warning doctors and residents to be alert amid an uptick in the number of rabid bats found in Berkeley.
Five bats who tested positive for rabies have been identified in the city so far this year, according to a memo sent to the City Council last week, whereas two or fewer were found in each of the previous six years. A cat also tested positive for the disease in Pleasanton.
No human cases have been identified locally, and rabies infections are very rare, averaging fewer than 10 per year nationwide. Still, public health officers from Berkeley and Alameda County issued a warning about the increase to doctors on Aug. 12. They noted rabies is “almost entirely preventable” when treated with medication after a potential exposure, but that the disease is nearly always fatal once symptoms begin…