Courtenay’s Van Isle Veterinary Hospital says a rabies-positive bat was recently found in the Denman Island area.
The hospital said on its website that the positive test came after the bat was sent to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
“It is not a common finding for Vancouver Island [present in less than one per cent of our bat population],” the hospital said. “But a good reminder that rabies can be found here and is not a new virus to the Island.” There is still a risk, the hospital said, as seen with the July 13 death of Parksville man Nick Major. Major died from rabies contracted from a bat, prompting a flood of calls to public-health units.
