The Lake County Health Department/Community Health Center is urging residents to avoid bats. During fall, people may encounter bats more frequently since some bats are migrating and others are looking for winter quarters, which may be people’s attics. While bats have mainly beneficial effects, with some species able to eat up to 600 insects in an hour, they are also the only animals that have tested positive for rabies in Lake County.

Thus far this year, the Health Department has submitted 38 bats for testing and three tested positive for rabies. This finding is similar to previous years as about 4% of Lake County bats tested carry rabies on average. The Health Department is urging anyone who has direct contact with a bat or notices a bat acting in an unusual manner, such as flying in daylight or lying on the ground or in your home, to contact Animal Care and Control at: (847) 377-4700.