Berkeley officials sound alarm after 5 bats test positive for rabies

Officials in the East Bay city of Berkeley have issued a warning to residents and doctors amid a rising number of bats that have tested positive for rabies.

In a letter sent to the Berkeley City Council on Aug. 26, City Manager Paul Buddenhagen's office said lab tests confirmed five rabies-positive bats were found. The bats were located in West and North Berkeley, both in residential and commercial areas.

"This represents an increase over the historical baseline of zero to two rabies-positive bats per year between 2020 and 2025," said the city manager's office.

No human rabies cases have been identified in Berkeley, officials said. Separately, Alameda County health officials confirmed a rabies-positive cat in Pleasanton that tested positive on June 29.

According to officials, rabies is a serious infection of the nervous system caused by the rabies virus. While rare, the disease is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. The disease is almost entirely preventable if treated before symptoms begin.

City officials offered several tips, including not touching or handling bats, keeping pets' rabies vaccinations current and preventing bats from entering one's home by sealing gaps and openings.

If one is bitten or scratched by a mammal, officials urge residents to wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes and to seek medical attention. Bites should be reported to the city's Communicable Disease Prevention & Control Program (510) 981-5292 and Alameda County Vector Control at 510-567-6800.

Officials also urged anyone who finds a bat indoors, dead or alive, not to release or dispose of the animal and to immediately contact vector control.