County official says visiting the stadium poses no health risks

A bat found at the UA/UCLA football game on Oct. 11 tested positive for rabies last week.

The dying bat was discovered on one of the east side ramps at Arizona Stadium. A UA stadium volunteer put it inside a plastic bag until Pima County Animal Control arrived to pick it up.

The bat was sent to the Arizona Department of Health Services Laboratory to determine if it was rabid. The UA found out Thursday that the bat had rabies.

Dr. Elizabeth MacNeill, chief medical officer of the Pima County Health Department, said any person handling the rabid bat might have been bitten without knowing it because bats have very small teeth.

Humans can contract rabies if they are bitten by an infected animal or if they are exposed to saliva while handling an infected animal.

"Rabies does kill people and the wildlife infected with it," MacNeill said.

She said the health department is concerned about kids and their parents who might have come in contact with the bat while at the football game.

Parents are encouraged to ask their kids if they handled a bat during the game because anyone who directly handled the bat might need a rabies vaccination.

"We find bats in all areas of our community," MacNeill said. "It's a reminder. We do have rabies in our population and people need to be aware."

According to UA spokeswoman Sharon Kha, bats have been taking residence in the stadium for a number of years.

"There are bats nesting in the stadium," Kha said. "They tend to find little crevices · little, dark, secretive places. It's kind of a natural habitat for them."

Kha said the UA determined it would be impossible to net off all the crevices hosting the campus' bat population in the stadium. The netting would have blocked the bats' return after they left to feed at night.

Instead, the UA will educate people on campus about the problem.

"Risk Management is putting signs up on the east side of the stadium warning people not to pick up downed bats," Kha said.

Kha added that rabies is not transmitted through bat droppings or by being in their general vicinity.

"People shouldn't be alarmed if they see a bat flying by," Kha said. " But if they're bitten, they should see a doctor."

Anyone who finds sick or downed bat should call the Pima County Animal Care Center at 743-7550 to determine if the animal is a health hazard.

"It is not unusual to see rabid bats all over the city," MacNeill said. "There is no danger to anyone in the stadium, so nobody needs to avoid the stadium for that reason."