Jefferson County health officials want to talk with a Littleton-area man who on Friday dropped off a bat that has since tested positive for rabies.
The unidentified man brought the live bat found by his children into the Columbine Animal Hospital but left before identifying himself or providing other critical information.
“It’s a major concern that the man or his children who were in contact with the bat may have been exposed to rabies,” said Dr. Gayle Miller, epidemiologist for the Jefferson County Department of Health and Environment.
If they were infected – even through seemingly minor contact with the bat – they will need to receive immediate treatment for the potentially fatal viral disease, she said Monday.
Health officials in Larimer County, where four people are receiving rabies immunizations, urged precautions Monday as the disease hits its summer peak.
Michele Wasinger, a veterinary technician at Columbine Animal Hospital in Jefferson County, said the man who brought in the bat told her that his children found the animal near West Ken Caryl Avenue and South Platte Canyon Road.
“He had the bat in a blue Skechers box and said, ‘Here’s something very interesting for you,”‘ Wasinger said. The man, whom she described as being white, tall and in his 40s with whitish hair, added the bat “has really sharp teeth.”
Wasinger said she told the man to wait while she got a veterinarian, but he was gone when she returned.
Anyone with information should call the county health department at 303-271-5700.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
