During this season of much outdoor activity, state and county health officials are reminding the public about the dangers of rabies exposure from wild animals.
In light of a recent incident at a Harlan County camp, they’re focusing specifically on bats.
State Veterinarian Kelly Giesbrecht says three different groups of female campers reported seeing bats in a cabin at Camp Blanton last month. Giesbrecht says there’s been no confirmation of any bat bites, but some of the young people were in relatively close contact with the flying creatures.
Giesbrecht says, while some of the girls have received the rabies vaccine, health officials are not suggesting that it’s necessary for all of them.
“What we’ve been doing over the past two weeks is trying to contact each family and have the conversation with them; what we call a risk assessment, to find out what their child’s exposure was,” Giesbrecht.
Camp Blanton Board Chair Dr. Murphy Green says no evidence of bat roosting has been detected in cabins. He says additional building sealings have been made and camp officials are waiting for health department approval to reopen.