The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is seeing an uptick in bats testing positive for rabies. As of June 28, the MDHHS Laboratories had identified rabies in 22 bats and two skunks. Last year at this time, there were only nine bats with rabies. Michiganders are reminded to adopt practices that protect their families and animals from rabies. Some tips to follow are: Avoid contact with wild animals. Do not keep wild animals as pets and do not try to rehabilitate wild animals yourself. If you are bitten or scratched by an animal, seek immediate medical attention and alert the local health department. If you find a bat in your home, safely confine or collect the bat if possible and contact your local health department to determine if it should be tested for rabies. For more tips and information visit Michigan.gov/rabies
