Arlington County officials announced Tuesday that a bat infected with rabies was discovered in a county pool.
The bat dropped into the Donaldson Run Recreation Association pool on Friday morning during a water aerobics class, according to Glen Rutherford, environmental health bureau chief of Arlington’s public health division. Rutherford said the bat was covered with a bucket by a lifeguard until animal control officers arrived.
This is the third case of rabies in the county this year. Last year, the county had six confirmed animal cases of the disease, which can be transmitted to humans if they are bitten by an infected animal.
The county has only had one case of human infection in the last 10 years, Rutherford said. He said the county has determined that no humans were exposed to the disease by the bat.
“The real concern was humans,” Rutherford said.
Rabies is usually fatal. However, vaccinations have nearly eliminated the disease in domesticated animals in Northern Virginia.
“It’s really has to be some heavy-duty contact” between an infected animal and a human for the disease to be spread, Rutherford said. “It very seldom happens because there is such good control.”
Reuben Varghese, Arlington’s public health director, said the discovery of the rabid bat is a reminder rabies still exists in the region.
“Arlington residents should avoid contact with wildlife, including bats and stray animals,” Varghese said.
