SIX AREA TEENS VACCINATED AFTER HANDLING RABID BAT.

Byline: SUSAN ABRAM

Staff Writer

CALABASAS -- Six San Fernando Valley area teenagers are being vaccinated against rabies after coming into contact with three wild bats -- one of which has tested positive for the virus, officials said Monday.

The teens from Calabasas and Agoura Hills were not identified, but officials said they had found the ailing bats late last month and had tried to nurse them back to health.

In response, Los Angeles County health officials last week mailed letters to nearly 2,000 parents in the Las Virgenes Unified School District asking them to determine whether any of their children also may have come into contact with the bats.

"While not all bats carry rabies, the risk is too great for people to be handling these animals," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Public Health Department.

"This is why we are sending letters to parents and the school district encouraging students, teachers, and any member of the public to avoid handling bats."

The six teens were all enrolled in a special summer program at Calabasas High School, where health officials said the bats were found.

None of the teens was bitten, but because one of the bats tested positive for rabies, the students are being given vaccines as a precaution, Fielding said.

The other two bats have still not been tested, Fielding said.

A private veterinarian first reported to county health officials in late July that a bat had tested positive for rabies.

Health officials began an investigation and discovered the teens' involvement. Within days, the teens had begun undergoing a series of five inoculations that will last nearly a month.

Donald Zimring, superintendent of the Las Virgenes school district, said the county Health Department contacted school officials about the incident the day after summer school ended.

"We've received no report back from the teacher to see if he knew, but his class had nothing to do with sciences," Zimring said.

Zimring said letters and telephone calls went out to parents in the district as soon as information was received from the health department.

So far, two parents have called with concerns that the school wasn't doing enough to deter children from touching bats, Zimring said.

In the letters to parents, the health department asked parents to talk with their children to see whether others might have been affected.

Rabies is not uncommon among bats, officials said, and it can be transmitted to humans by a bite or scratch.

Rabies attacks the central nervous system and can be fatal if medical attention is not immediately sought. Symptoms can include anxiety, insomnia, partial paralysis, hallucinations and difficulty swallowing.

There are 15 species of bats in California, many of which survive on mosquitoes. The mammals are indigenous to Calabasas as well as other parts of Southern California, experts said.

Most are seasonal, traveling south during the winter, said Ian Swift, biologist and director for the Placerita Nature Center in Santa Clarita.

But their populations have dwindled because of urbanization.

"Because all these urban areas are lit up, and the lights attract insects that are non-native, bats gravitate toward these areas, then are hit by cars," Swift said.

"There's nothing in a bat's evolutionary history to dodge an SUV going 65 mph."

Fielding said the department receives at least one call a year about a teacher or a student who has handled a bat.

And because bats have tiny teeth, skin marks might not be easily seen, Fielding said.

So far this year, 14 rabid bats have been found in Los Angeles County, including two from the Long Beach area, he said.

"It's a higher number than usual for rabid bats," Fielding said. "I can't tell why that is, but we haven't had a case of locally rabid humans in decades."

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

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Where to call

Parents are asked to contact the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health at [phone] if they believe their child has come into contact with bats found in Calabasas.

DEALING WITH BATS

Rabid bats are not uncommon in Los Angeles County, with a dozen found so far this year. The county Health Department offers these tips:

Do not capture or handle bats, or keep as pets.

If a bat must be handled, wear leather or heavy work gloves. Try to cover the bat with an empty coffee can or similar container when it lands.

Vaccinate pets against rabies and keep them indoors.

If you are bitten or scratched by a suspected rabid animal -- or its saliva enters an open wound, or comes in contact with your nose, mouth, or eyes -- wash the area with soap and water.

Call your doctor or the health department and get medical attention immediately.

Early symptoms of rabies in humans includes irritability, headache and fever. There may be itching or pain at the site of exposure.

Report cases of suspected rabies in animals to Veterinary Public Health at [phone].

-- Daily News research

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(1) Where to call (see text)

(2) DEALING WITH BATS (see text)