BLUEFIELD, W.Va. -- The Mercer County Health Department says three people have been bitten by bats during the past few weeks.
The department issued a news release urging area residents to use caution in approaching bats, which can carry rabies. It also is encouraging them to avoid contact with bats and to bat-proof their home.
Spokeswoman Doris Irwin told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph that while most bats don't have rabies, most cases of human rabies in the U.S. are associated with bats.
Irwin also says in some cases of people who died across the country, they knew they were bitten by a bat but didn't seek medical treatment. In other cases, people didn't even know they were bitten because bat bites are small and can be difficult to see.
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