LIBBY — Lincoln County health officials have confirmed the first bat of 2025 to test positive for rabies.

Rabies is a fatal disease caused by a virus carried in the saliva of infected warm-blooded mammals, typically transmitted through bites.

Health officials note that when symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal, so quick, preventive treatment is critical for anyone who may have been exposed to rabies.

“People can be exposed to a bat and not even realize it,” said Lincoln County Health Department Disease Intervention Specialist Sarah Long. “If a bat has physical contact with a person or is found in an area where contact might have occurred...it should be tested for rabies whenever possible.”

Anyone who thinks they may have had contact with a bat should call LCHD immediately to

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