Rabid Bat Found In Fremont

FREMONT, CA — A bat found in Fremont's Northgate area last weekend has tested positive for rabies, police said.

Fremont police Animal Services responded to a home in the area of Chaucer Drive and Atteridge Court on Sunday and retrieved a dead bat from a driveway, authorities said.

Alameda County Vector Control took possession of the bat and has since reported it tested positive for the rabies virus, according to police.

However, Fremont police said that as far as they know there was no contact between the bat and another animal or human. In addition, they said they have not received any other similar reports and the last rabid bat case reported in Fremont was in 2015.

Police said rabies is a fatal disease caused by a virus that affects the brain and nervous system but can be prevented if the exposed person or animal receives a series of rabies vaccine shots as soon as possible after the exposure.

Fremont police said anyone who touched or may have been bitten by the rabid bat should call the Alameda County Public Health Acute Communicable Disease unit at (510) 267-3250 and also see a health care provider.

They said anyone whose pet touched the bat should call Fremont Animal Services at (510) 790-6630 as well as their veterinarian.

Read more about rabies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.