9-5-12: Courtesy of WIVB. Bats are the number one rabies carrier in Allegany County and local health officials say more and more people are coming into contact with them. But it’s not just Allegany County. The number of people exposed to bats, and therefore rabies, has jumped this summer. Health officials are attributing the increase in rabies treatment cases to the weather. Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gail Burstein said, “People wake up in the morning and they see a bat in their bedroom and they don’t know if they’ve been exposed or not, so we really want to be conservative.” In Erie County, between January and August alone, more than 430 people have had post-rabies exposure treatment.
Stay in Touch
PAID FOR BY FRIENDS OF MARK POLONCARZ