An unknown number of people at downtown Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Park came in contact with a bat that tested positive for rabies, health officials announced Wednesday.
According to witnesses, the incident occurred Friday when people who were assumed to be unsheltered came in contact with the infected bat for “an extended period,” the Salt Lake County Department of Health said.
Salt Lake County Animal Services has since collected the bat from the park.
Health officials, working closely with the Fourth Street Clinic’s street medicine team, began canvassing at 3 p.m. Wednesday to distribute flyers at Pioneer Park. The clinic, at the corner of 400 West and 400 South across from the park, is one of several homeless resource centers in Salt Lake County.
Nicholas Rupp, spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Health Department, said officials distributed information about the event at North Temple Clinic, Liberty Park and Hidden Hollow. Every homeless service provider received a notification of the incident Wednesday morning, Rupp said.
While the exact number of people who came in contact with the bat is uncertain, Rupp said officials are preparing for the possibility of 15 to 20 people needing treatment.
To be cautious, Rupp said, “we are operating on the assumption that more people, rather than fewer, touch the bat.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, canvassers came in contact with two people seeking treatment, Rupp told The Tribune.
The health department, with homelessness service partners, developed an outreach plan to deliver information to the unsheltered population so they “get this information [to] as many places as possible,” Rupp said.
“Reaching an unsheltered population with information can be challenging,” Rupp said. “We can’t call them on the phone necessarily. They may not have a permanent address. So using as many avenues as possible to ... blanket the community with that information was our priority.”
Health officials warn those who came in contact with the bat to immediately visit the Fourth Street Clinic or an emergency room. According to the release, treatment for rabies after exposure is extremely effective before symptoms appear.
Signs of rabies infection vary widely from person to person, Rupp said, but on average appear in 20 to 90 days. Variables, like the wound’s severity and a person’s age, determine the incubation period, he added.
According to the press release, a rabid bat may appear weak, unable to fly or dehydrated. Those who encounter bats should report the location to local animal control, and keep children and pets away, the release noted.
During this time of year, bats migrate south and may appear “more visible,” Rupp said. Although no person should seek contact with a bat, they should not be seen as a threat, he said.
“Bats are so important to our environment and essential to our ecosystem,” Rupp said. “While we need to stay away from bats, we don’t want to seek out bats and cause them harm.”
