The first rabid bat reported in Idaho this year was found recently at a home in the northern part of Kootenai County.

Three people were exposed when they found a bat on their staircase inside the home, said Cynthia Taggart, Panhandle Health District spokeswoman.

"They picked it up with a towel - wise not to use their bare hands - and took it outside, thinking it would fly away," Taggart wrote in an email. "It died - a bad sign."

The bat was taken to PHD for testing. The PHD sent it to a state lab in Boise, where it tested positive for rabies.

The three who were exposed to the bat last week are fine and have started a treatment as a protection against rabies in case they were bitten. However, there's no indication that they were bitten, Taggart said.

"Bats' teeth are so sharp that people often don't know they've been bitten until symptoms appear," Taggart wrote. "Because of that, immediate prophylactic treatment is highly recommended for anyone exposed. If a bat is in your house, you're exposed.

"No one has developed rabies when they've started the five-shot treatment within 10 days of exposure. These people were within the 10-day window."

Citing privacy reasons and because bats are throughout the area and state, the PHD and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare declined to elaborate further on where the bat was found on the north side of the county and didn't release the ages and genders of those involved.

Bats can enter buildings through openings the size of a nickel, Taggart said.

Niki Forbing-Orr, IDHW spokeswoman, said about 15 bats a year in the state test positive for rabies.

"There's no place in the state that we consider rabies-free," she said. "They can be found anywhere in the state at any time."

Forbing-Orr said most bats don't have rabies.

"Generally, though, our message is that bats are the primary reservoir for rabies in our state, so it's generally best to avoid them," she said. "It is a communicable disease, so it's natural to assume that other bats could also have it and to take precautions."

The rabid bat find prompted public health officials to warn people to take precautions around bats and make sure that their dogs, cats, ferrets and horses are vaccinated against rabies. Pets and other animals can be exposed to the virus by playing with sick bats that can no longer fly.

People should call their health care provider immediately if they have been bitten or scratched by a bat. While most bats are harmless and are a benefit because they eat bugs that bite people, including beetles, rabies is a fatal viral illness.

"They're very useful if we leave them alone and they stay outdoors where they belong," Taggart wrote.

Leslie Tengelsen, deputy state epidemiologist, said it's important for people to avoid bats or other wild animals that appear sick or are acting aggressively or abnormally.

People usually come into contact with bats when pets bring them home or when a bat enters the home through a small opening. People who wake up from sleeping and find a bat in their room may have had an exposure or even been bitten without realizing it.

Any bat found in a home should be tested for rabies if there is any suspicion that an exposure to a person or pet may have occurred.

Bat Central

For information about bat-proofing your home, visit http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats/management/index.html.