Maine and Oregon report heightened bat rabies cases

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that five bats have tested positive for rabies this year, each in a different county (Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, Penobscot and Somerset). The agency has examined 353 animals so far, with bats comprising just over half of the samples.

In Oregon, state health officials said 22 bats have tested positive for rabies, matching the state's record for a single year. The Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife warned residents to avoid handling dead or sick bats and to keep pets away from wildlife. Both states emphasized that bats are natural carriers of the virus but that human rabies cases remain extremely rare.

Officials in both states urged the public to take precautions such as sealing entry points to homes, monitoring for bat encounters, and seeking post‑exposure prophylaxis if contact occurs.