Rabid Bat Found In Fremont

Fremont police said on May 29 that a bat collected three days earlier near Palo Verde Common in South Fremont tested positive for rabies. Alameda County Vector Control picked up the bat on May 26, and the positive test was confirmed on May 28, according to a city press release. The animal was found near a sidewalk where people and pets could have reached it, police said. Authorities said there are no known human or animal exposures tied to the incident. April 1 marked Fremont’s first rabid bat case of 2026, when a dead bat found on Logan Drive in the Glenmoor neighborhood tested positive, according to a separate Fremont police release. That earlier case also had no known human or animal exposures, police said. The two detections make this the second rabid bat found in Fremont this year. (fremontpolice.gov) ### Where was this bat found, and when was rabies confirmed? Palo Verde Common in South Fremont was the location where Alameda County Vector Control collected the bat on Tuesday, May 26. Fremont police said the county confirmed the positive rabies result on Thursday, May 28, and the city issued its notice on Friday, May 29. (fremontpolice.gov) The sidewalk location mattered because the bat was within reachable distance of pedestrians and animals, according to the police release. NBC Bay Area reported the warning was issued after the rabies-positive bat was found in Fremont, one of several rabies cases reported across the Bay Area this year. ### What did officials say residents should do now? (fremontpolice.gov) Fremont police told residents not to touch sick or dead wild animals and to report them instead. In the city’s April rabies notice, police said anyone who may have touched a bat or been bitten should call the Alameda County Public Health Acute Communicable Disease Program at 510-267-3250, and that pet owners should contact Fremont Animal Services and a veterinarian if a pet had contact with the animal. (fremontpolice.gov) California public health guidance says all bites from mammals susceptible to rabies must be reported to the local health officer. The California Department of Public Health says people exposed to rabies should be assessed for post-exposure prophylaxis, and the CDC says that treatment includes wound care, human rabies immune globulin and a four-dose vaccine series for people who have not previously been vaccinated. (patch.com) ### Why do bats draw this kind of warning? The CDC says bats are the most commonly reported rabid animals in the United States and that most U.S. rabies deaths are linked to bat exposures. The agency advises people to avoid touching bats and to seek medical care if they may have had contact with one. California health officials say rabies is fatal once symptoms appear but preventable if post-exposure treatment is given promptly. (cdph.ca.gov) The virus spreads through bites and scratches from an infected mammal, according to the CDC and the California Department of Public Health. ### Was anyone exposed in Fremont’s two 2026 cases? Fremont police said there are no known human or animal exposures in the Palo Verde Common case. (cdc.gov) The city said the same in the March 31 Logan Drive case in Glenmoor. Patch reported in April that Alameda County Vector Control went door to door near the Glenmoor site to notify neighbors after that earlier bat tested positive. (cdc.gov) Police also circulated prevention advice, including vaccinating dogs and cats against rabies, avoiding wild animals, reporting bites, removing outdoor pet food and sealing openings in homes larger than a quarter inch to keep bats out. (fremontpolice.gov) ### What happens next if someone thinks they had contact? The CDC says anyone with a possible rabies exposure should contact a health department immediately for a risk assessment. California guidance says local health officials are responsible for identifying people who had contact with a confirmed or suspected rabid animal and assessing whether post-exposure prophylaxis is needed. (patch.com) In Fremont, the next step for residents is direct contact with Alameda County public health officials or Fremont Animal Services if a pet was involved, according to the city’s guidance. The current South Fremont case remained, as of the May 29 police notice, without any known human or animal exposure. (fremontpolice.gov) (cdc.gov)