Rabies confirmed in bat in Trinity Bay area

Health, News July 14th, 2026

The Department of Forestry, Agriculture and Lands is confirming a case of rabies in a bat in the Trinity Bay area.

This is the second detection of rabies in a bat in the province. The first detection occurred in Cartwright in 2004. Rabies is a fatal disease of mammals that is usually spread by the bite of an infected animal. In Canada, it occurs in most provinces and territories, though the primary host species may vary.

Although rabies has been detected again, there is no elevated risk to public or animal health.

In healthy bat populations, rabies naturally occurs at a consistent low level of infection (typically 0.5-1 per cent of the bat population). However, the recent detection serves as an important reminder that rabies is always a risk wherever bats are present, and to always treat any interaction with bats seriously and take appropriate precautions if exposure occurs.

The public should continue to be very cautious in dealing with bats. People or animals in close contact with bats require urgent medical attention for assessment of rabies risk.

Close contact includes:

• Being bitten, scratched or touched by a bat.
• Finding a bat in your home.
• Finding a bat in the room of someone who is unable to reliably report whether they were bitten or not, either due to age or illness.

People in close contact with a bat should seek medical attention either by calling 811 or consulting a primary care practitioner or an Emergency Department. People who are determined to be at risk of rabies exposure are strongly recommended to receive treatment to reduce the risk.

Rabies in humans is a notifiable disease. Any bite or bat exposure assessed by a medical practitioner must be reported by health practitioners to Public Health by telephone as soon as suspected, followed by a written report within 24 hours using the Notifiable Disease and Notification Form.

If a pet, such as a cat, brings a bat home, the cat should be taken to a veterinarian for advice and the bat collected for testing. It is recommended that pets be vaccinated against rabies. Care should be taken in handling a dead bat. It can be safely picked up with heavy duty or work gloves and put into a plastic bag for storage.

Any suspicion of rabies in an animal should be reported to your local Forestry and Wildfire office, or private or government veterinary officials.

Avoid and report animals exhibiting signs of rabies, including:

• Behaving strangely.
• Staggering.
• Frothing at the mouth.
• Choking.
• Making unusual noises.