By CATERINA GUINTA

Staff Intern

COLUMBUS — A bat that bit a Wadsworth resident early last week tested positive for rabies, the Ohio Department of Health Laboratory reported Wednesday.

This is the second time in two years a bat tested positive for rabies in Medina County. Last year’s case was reported in the Valley City area of Liverpool Township, the Medina County Health Department said.

Rabies cases usually occur every one to five years, the department said.

The Wadsworth resident is seeking treatment for the bite — a series of five shots spread across 28 days, the department reported.

Rabies is fairly common in Ohio bats — 4 to 5 percent of all bats tested are positive. If residents have bats inside their house, the county health department recommends they:

o Wear gloves, avoiding damage to the bat’s head.

o Confine the bat to one room, turning on the lights and covering the bat with a coffee can or net when it lands.

o Do not use a glue board or drown the bat, as these methods could affect rabies testing.

Once captured, the resident immediately should call the health department at 330-723-9523 to arrange a rabies examination.

If residents come across a bat in the wild, they should leave it alone, the department advises.

“They (residents) should understand that … bats are very valuable,” Janet Gammell, the county health department’s program coordinator, said Thursday. “The awareness comes when you see a bat acting unusual.”

In 2008 there have been 55 reported cases of rabies in Ohio — 49 bats, three raccoons and three skunks.

If an individual thinks he or she may have been bitten, the animal should be tested immediately; if that’s not possible, the person should go to his or her physician, especially if it’s a bat encounter.

“These bites (bat bites) are so tiny that sometimes you hardly know,” Gammell said.

Guinta may be reached at 330-721-4046 or cguinta@ohio.net.