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# Berkeley warns of uptick in rabid bats
- URL: https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/03/community/berkeley-rabid-bat-uptick-warning/
- Published: 2026-09-03T23:10:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-03T23:10:31.000Z
- Description: Rabies is treatable when found early but "nearly always fatal once symptoms appear," the city said.
- Author: Emilie Raguso
- Tags: Community, North Berkeley, West Berkeley, #articles

Five rabid bats have been found in North and West Berkeley this year, up from two found annually since 2020.

"No human rabies cases have been identified" — but the city is warning the public to take precautions.

- Do not touch or handle bats
- Wash for 15 minutes with soap and water if bitten or scratched by any mammal
- Do not release or dispose of any bat found indoors
- Keep pets' rabies vaccinations current
- Bat-proof your home by sealing gaps and openings

In June, Alameda County also confirmed rabies in an indoor cat in Pleasanton. The cat may have been exposed to the virus by a [bat on a balcony](https://health.alamedacountyca.gov/program/rabies/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com), county health officials said.

Berkeley and Alameda County public health officers have now issued alerts to let doctors, hospitals and veterinarians know about the uptick.

Rabies can be treated when care is sought early but is "nearly always fatal once symptoms appear," the city said [in a recent announcement](https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/2026-08-26%20%20Increase%20in%20Rabies-Positive%20Bats%20Identified%20in%202026%20in%20the%20City%20of%20Berkeley.pdf?ref=berkeleyscanner.com), which includes more detailed safety information.

In a health update for providers in mid-August, Berkeley health officials said [rabies treatment can be warranted](https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/Provider%20Alert%5FRabies-positive%20bats%20in%20City%20of%20Berkeley.pdf?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) even without a bite or scratch in the following cases:

- A sleeping person wakes to find a bat in their room
- A bat is found in a room with an unattended child, someone with cognitive impairment or an intoxicated person
- "Any situation where there is a reasonable probability that unrecognized direct contact with a bat may have occurred"

[Early rabies symptoms](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rabies/symptoms-causes/syc-20351821?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) "may be very similar to those of the flu and may last for days," according to the Mayo Clinic.

[The Daily Californian](https://www.dailycal.org/news/city/rabid-bats-found-in-west-and-north-berkeley/article%5F9cb69366-1b61-4e52-86ba-47b2a2eec6d7.html?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) was the first news outlet to report on this subject.

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