Huron Peth Public Health says a bat captured in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh has tested positive for the rabies virus.
This is the first bat to test positive within the region this year.
A bat tested positive in Perth County in 2019.
“If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, or if infectious material (such as saliva) from a bat gets into your eyes, nose, or a wound; wash the affected area thoroughly and seek medical attention immediately,” says Public Health Inspector Patrick Landry.
“If you awaken to find a bat in your room, a child’s room, or the room of an incapacitated person, call Huron Perth Public Health.”
If you find a bat in your home and are certain that there was no human or animal contact, try to confine that bat to one room, turn on the lights and open a window so the bat can fly out.