SAN ANTONIO – Metro Health is trying to get the word out to San Antonio residents and tourists who may have come in contact with a rabid bat.
A bat with rabies was captured on Friday, Aug. 18 in the courtyard of the River Walk restaurant, Rita’s on the River, located at 245 E. Commerce Street.
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Anyone who may have come in contact with a bat on the River Walk in recent weeks is asked to contact the epidemiology line of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District at 210-207-8876.
Because many tourists visit the River Walk, Metro Health is hoping to get the word out across the nation to warn anyone who may have been exposed.
Metro Health says you don’t have to be bitten to contract rabies, you can contract it from any physical contact with the bat.
Rabies is 100 percent preventable through medical care, but the sooner the treatment is started, the better the chance of effectiveness.
Early symptoms of rabies include fever, headache and general weakness.
Metro Health warns that bats are high-risk animals for rabies transmission and says people should never touch a bat, living or dead.