BAT EXPOSURE
REPORTING
EHO GUIDANCE #01
Syracuse
University
Environmental Health Office
August 2001, Revised July
2004
I think I have been exposed to a
bat..what do I do ?
Following a suspected exposure to a bat at
Syracuse
University
, the following actions are required:
-
If applicable, close all interior doors (i.e. closets) and windows within the
room and close exterior doors to the room in order to contain the bat. Remove
yourself and others from the room in which the bat is confined. Do not release
the bat to the outdoors.
-
Call Public
Safety @ 711 immediately to report the potential exposure and report this
incident to supervisory personnel (RA if in a residence hall). A Public Safety Officer will be
dispatched to secure the area, collect names and telephone numbers of
individuals in the area that may have also been exposed for their report and
fax their report before the end of their shift to the Health Center (Att:
Maureen Young, Fax: 3-9010). The
Public Safety Officer will hand out informational cards to potentially exposed
individuals instructing them on their needed course of action.
-
Concurrently, Public Safety Dispatch will notify Physical Plant or Housing who
is staffed and trained to safely capture and remove bats. In a large open
building, the Public Safety Officer will observe the bat to note its location
until it is captured. If an exposure is suspected, the bat (if successfully
captured) will be submitted to Onondaga County Health Department for rabies
testing. Upon request by the
Health
Center
, the Environmental Health Office will transport a suspect bat
to the County Health Department for rabies testing.
-
The
Health
Center
will answer any medical questions regarding rabies and perform an evaluation to
determine if there has been an exposure. The
Health
Center
will contact the County Health Department to determine if medical treatment is
warranted.
No suspect exposure, but there is a bat
inside a room, building, by the entrance way to a building, or on the
ground...what do I do ?
-
Call Public Safety @ 711 immediately to report the presence of the bat and
report this incident to supervisory personnel (RA if in a residence hall).
Public Safety Dispatch will call
Physical Plant or Housing for bat capture. A Public Safety Officer will secure
the area within reason and observe the activity of the bat. Once
captured, the bat may be released by Physical Plant or Housing if it can be
confirmed on-site that there has been no potential exposure beyond a reasonable
doubt.
To learn more about the definitions of an exposure,
refer to the NYSDOH website @
www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/zoonoses/guide.htm
Can people be exposed to rabies and not know it?
Bats have small, sharp teeth that may not leave a visible puncture wound or
noticeable pain at the bite site, therefore it is possible to be bitten without
knowing it as described in the following scenarios. These scenarios indicate a
reasonable probability that an exposure could have occurred:
-
contact between a person's bare skin and the bat's head (or any part of the bat
while not looking directly at the bat)
-
bat found in a room with a sleeping person
-
bat found in a room with an unattended child
-
in some circumstances, bat found close to an unattended child outdoors
-
bat found in a room with a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs or
with other sensory or mental impairment
Proper
Procedure for Capturing a Bat (for Physical Plant and Housing personnel):
see EHO Guidance #03
Last modified on August 23, 2004
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