Health Dept. still searching for “pier bat” boys
The search is still on for three of the five boys who were seen playing and kissing a Brazilian Free Tail bat -which the Lee County Health Department later confirmed had rabies- on the Fort Myers Beach public pier recently.
Since rabies is a fatal disease, the local health department is trying to locate the youth in order to administer rabies vaccinations.
An undisclosed eyewitness saw at least five boys estimated to be between 10-12 years of age with the bat at approximately 4 p.m. Monday, June 15. The bat was retrieved, sent to the Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife in Sanibel, and later sent to the state laboratory in Tampa for testing which confirmed the bat had rabies.
Since the report, Lee County biologists have discovered the first ever bat colony at the pier and a stray bat or two has been seen floating in the water nearby, according to phone calls made to the Lee County Health Department.
“One of the biologists from our epidemiology department thought it might have to do with the heat that causes the bats to get sick so they are going into the water and bats don’t swim, they drown,” said Lee County Health Department Public Information Officer Jennifer James-Mesloh. “If you see a bat during the daytime, most likely it is a sick animal. Do not touch them.”
James-Mesloh also pointed out that, even with a bat colony, “the beach is not a dangerous place to be.
“I really want to make sure that people get the message that they can go to the beach,” she said. “If they see a bat floating in the water, they will not get rabies. If they see a bat on the ground, they will not get rabies.”
Dr. P.J. Deitschel of C.R.O.W agrees that bats, by nature, are not harmful and explained that bats shouldn’t always be associated with rabies.
“”Any mammal can carry rabies and most bats do not carry rabies,” she said. “They are a very helpful, wonderful species to have in our environment. But, you should not handle these animals without gloves. The big worry is that there is an animal that has been tested, has rabies and could have bitten these boys.”
Dr. Judith A. Hartner, M.D., M.P.H., M.P.A. and director of the Lee County Health Department, knows there is a sense of urgency with this situation.
“Rabies is a fatal disease,” said Dr. Hartner. “There is no known cure for rabies, only vaccination. Therefore, it is critical that the youth who were playing with the bat on the Beach pier are vaccinated as soon as possible.”
Any information on how to contact the youth seen handling the bat, please contact the Lee County Health Department at (239) 332-9501. The phone number will be operational 24 hours per day/ 7 days per week.
Information is also available at the Florida Department of Health website: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/medicine/rabies/rabies-education.html and at the Centers for Disease Control website: http://www.cdc.gov/RABIES/bats.html or http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/kidsrabies/