Summer is almost over, and that means it’s time to get ready to carve pumpkins for Halloween, plan Thanksgiving and weatherproof your home for winter.
But this year add another item to your fall to-do list: bat-proofing. It’s not just a creepy matter, but a health concern. Nine bats tested positive for rabies recently, according to the Prince George’s County Health Department.
The department suggests a number of ways of keeping the bats out of your home.
- Examine your home for holes that might allow bat entry. Any opening larger than a quarter-inch by a half-inch should be caulked.
- Use window screens, chimney caps and draft-guards beneath doors to attics.
- Make sure that all doors to the outside close tightly.
- Contact the animal management division at (301) 780-7200 to report a bat found in your home.
Health Officer Dr. Donald Shell says rabies can be a fatal disease, and “increased awareness about bats and rabies can help people protect themselves, their families and their pets.”
The department also encourages residents to reduce the risk of contacting rabies by teaching children not to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, and washing any wound from an animal thoroughly with soap and water and seeking immediate medical attention.
–By Capital News Service’s Sharmina Manandhar