Riverside family not in danger from rabid bat

That eastern Iowa family that became the focus of a search by state health officials after turning in a rabid bat got some good news. State officials did not know the name of the family from Riverside and ask the media for help in locating them after a test determined the bat was rabid. Department of Public Health spokesman, Kevin Teale, says they talked with family members yesterday after locating them.He says after interviewing the family, they determined they did not put themselves at risk in handling the animal and will not have to undergo rabies shots.It took all day Monday for officials to locate Bill Cahill and his family. Cahill had turned the bat in last Thursday to the state Hygienic Lab in Oakdale near Iowa City.Teale says they found the family found the bat in their house and killed the bat. But Teale says they were very careful in handling the bat, so there wasn’t any concern about the family contracting rabies. A Health Department veterinarian says it’s very rare to have a case of rabies transmitted from a bat to a human, but he said it was important to check the family thoroughly.