Tag Archives: rabies

Local, state health officials issue rabies warning

(CHICAGO) County and state health officials in Illinois are testing feral cats and warning residents to have their pets vaccinated after two outdoor cats tested positive for the disease in northern Illinois and western Missouri.

Cook County Animal and Rabies Control issued the warning Tuesday.

The cats found to have rabies in the past two weeks were in Ogle County, Illinois, and Cass County, Missouri.

Cook and nearby counties have increased surveillance for the disease, which is often fatal to animals and can be passed on to people from the bite of an infected animal.

Animal and Rabies Control Administrator Dr. Donna Alexander says finding rabies in cats is unusual.

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Rabid bat captured in Arlington Heights

(ARLINGTON HEIGHTS) A live bat trapped in a northwest suburban Arlington Heights home last week has tested positive for rabies.

Animal control officers were called to the house in the 400 block of North Haddow Avenue on May 27 after a bat was captured inside, according to a statement from Arlington Heights police.

The bat was transferred to the Illinois Department of Public Health, and a test came back positive for rabies on Wednesday, police said.

Residents are encouraged to keep their pets inoculated with the rabies vaccine and contact animal control if any wild animals are found in their homes, the Cook County Animal and Rabies Control department said in a statement.

Bat tests positive for rabies in Braidwood

(BRAIDWOOD) A live bat trapped in a southwest suburban Braidwood garage has tested positive for rabies, marking Will County’s first case of wildlife rabies in 2016.

A resident armed with a broom pinned the bat to the floor in the garage of a home in the 800 block of North School Street in Braidwood, according to a statement from the Will County Health Department. The resident covered the bat with a plastic container and called animal control.

The bat was taken to the Illinois Department of Public Health for testing, and a positive result was returned May 5, officials said. No human exposures are suspected, and a dog that lives on the property has been given a rabies booster shot and remains under observation.

This marks Will County’s first recorded case of wildlife rabies this year, the health department said. The county saw a record high of 20 confirmed cases in 2015.