Protect Yourself And Pets In Michigan From Bats

I guess we are all afraid of something, I am not a fan of spiders, or anything that crawls. My partner in the morning Erica is very afraid of snakes. When I was living in Florida my daughter was afraid to go in the water because of the threat of Alligator's. Now we have something else to be weary of according to fox47news.com. The state of Michigan is giving us tips on how to protect our families and pets from bats. This is happening in 4 counties where some of these critters are testing positive for rabies.

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Four bats have tested positive for rabies in Clinton, Ingham, Kent and Midland counties so far this year, according to the Michigan departments of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Agriculture and Rural Developent (MDARD) and Natural Resources (MDNR).

Also the MDHSS is alerting that there were 56 cases of rabies that they know about in Michigan animals last year. Those cases did involve 52 rabid bats, and 4 rabid skunks. FYI bats and skunks are the biggest cause of rabies. I get queasy just saying the word rabies.

According to mayoclinic.org the first symptoms of rabies may be very similar to those of the flu, and may last for days.

Later signs and symptoms may include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Hyperactivity
• Difficulty swallowing
• Excessive salivation
• Fear brought on by attempts to drink fluids because of difficulty swallowing water
• Hallucinations
• Insomnia
• Partial paralysis

Keep in mind, Rabies can be fatal to us if treatment isn’t received before symptoms start. It's a viral disease that you can get through the bite, or scratch of an infected animal.

State officials say Michiganders need to know safe procedures to keep their families safe.