Watch out for rabid bats, Chicago health officials warn

People in the Chicago area already have to worry about West Nile virus and those mysterious mite bites. Now there is a new concern: rabid bats. Several bats with rabies have been found in the Chicago area this month.

Nine bats in suburban Cook County have tested positive for rabies this year, including three in the past week, according to the county public health department.

A 61-year-old Aurora woman was trying to remove a bat from her home Thursday when it bit her, department spokesman Tom Schlueter said. Officials tested the bat on Friday, with the results coming in Tuesday that it had rabies.

These results bring the tally to 59 bats testing positive for rabies this year statewide, Schlueter said.