SASKATOON -- A bat with rabies has been located north of Saskatoon in Martensville.
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture says it’s the first rabid bat found in the province since October 2020.
Less than one per cent of wild bats carry rabies and transmission risk to humans is low, according to a professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
Vikram Misra, who studies viral diseases people can get from animals, urges people to avoid touching bats.
He says bats that end up on the ground are usually sick.
“The risk of transmission is extremely rare. Very, very few people get sick,” Misra says.
“The best thing to do is avoid handling bats and keep your pets vaccinated — that’s the best advice.”
The Ministry of Agriculture says it was able to identify the rabid bat in Martensville though its “rabies monitoring program.”
Through the program, veterinarians across the province collect samples from suspect animals and submit them for rabies testing.
The Martensville bat was confirmed to have rabies in a Lethbridge lab, where the sample was sent.
In 2011, three bats tested positive for rabies in Martensville.
