Island Health says laboratory tests have confirmed a bat found dead in a Capital Region school yard was rabid.
In a letter to Frank Hobbs Elementary parents, Island Health says the deceased winged creature was located on Wednesday near the school's compost and garbage area.
Island Health says after the bat was carefully removed testing showed it was carrying the rabies virus.
“To the best of our knowledge, no student or staff had direct unprotected contact with the bat,” Medical Health Officer, Dee Hoyano wrote in the letter.
On September 4th staff with an after-school care program at Keating Elementary in Central Saanich found a dead bat. The bat also tested positive for rabies.
Island Health says three bats out of 50 on Vancouver Island tested positive for the virus this year.
In July, a 21-year-old Vancouver Island man died six weeks after contracting rabies from a bat.
It was the first case of a human dying after being infected by rabies in B.C. since 2003.
Parents are being asked to remind children to not touch or even disturb deceased wildlife they find, especially bats
