Rabies-Infected Bat Found In Parking Lot In San Diego County

OCEANSIDE, CA — County public health officials on Monday were looking for people who may have come in contact with a rabies-infected bat found in a parking lot in northern San Diego County.

The wild bat was found around 9 a.m. Oct. 23 on the ground outside a Petco store at 2130 Vista Way in Oceanside, according to the County of San Diego Communications Office. The bat later tested positive for rabies.

Officials urged anyone who was in parking lot that morning and had direct contact with the bat to contact County Public Health Services at 619-692-8499.

"Human rabies is usually fatal without prompt post-exposure vaccine and treatment," Dr. Seema Shah, the county's interim deputy public health officer said. "Rabies transmission can happen from a bat bite or if a bat's saliva comes in contact with a cut or abrasion, or with mucous membranes, such as the eyes, nose or mouth."

Public health officials have detected 10 rabid bats in 2024 throughout the San Diego region.

There are many species of bats found in the county that feed on insects such as mosquitoes. Other bat species feed on nectar from plants and pollinate them in the process.

Officials advised anyone who comes in contact with a bat to wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and get medical advice immediately.

Rabies is a preventable viral disease that is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Symptoms in people can take weeks to months to develop. Once symptoms develop, rabies is usually fatal, but prompt post-exposure treatment following exposure to the virus will prevent the disease, officials said.