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Public Advisory Issued Following Bat Bite

by Shanine Sealey

Just one week after a rabid bat was discovered in Warman, the City of Martensville is urging residents to exercise caution around wildlife following a recent bat bite incident.

According to a statement shared on the City of Martensville’s Facebook page on Wednesday, October 1st, a local resident was bitten multiple times on the neck by a bat while in his yard. The incident occurred on Tuesday, September 30th and as a precaution, the man received a rabies vaccination and is recovering.

The City of Martensville stated that the bat may have been acting to protect its young, but emphasized that all residents should avoid contact with bats and seek immediate medical attention if bitten or scratched.

This warning follows a similar advisory issued by the City of Warman on September 25th, after a dead bat found in a backyard tested positive for rabies. No human contact occurred in that case.

Coincidentally, the Government of Saskatchewan had recognized World Rabies Day just days earlier, on Sunday, September 28, an international effort to raise awareness about the deadly but preventable disease.

Rabies is a viral infection that affects the central nervous system. In most cases, people are exposed to the virus through the saliva of an infected animal via a bite, scratch, or contact with broken skin or mucous membranes. Early symptoms may resemble common illnesses such as fever, headache, or weakness, but as the disease progresses, severe neurological symptoms develop, including anxiety, confusion, paralysis, coma, and ultimately death. Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal.

In Saskatchewan, rabies most commonly occurs in skunks and bats, though it can also be found in other wild and domestic animals.

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