Bat reports in Aberdeen area apartments

Bat infestations have been reported in two Aberdeen area apartment communities, according to the Harford County Health Department, which is advising current and former residents of the situation and urging them to get rabies booster vaccinations for their pets.

Residents of Cranberry Run Apartments, near the Route 22 and I-95 interchange in Aberdeen, and residents of Perrywood Garden Apartments, which is off Mayberry Drive just south of Aberdeen, have complained to the health department about bat sightings, Health Department Public Information Officer William Wiseman said.

Wiseman said Monday the health department is working on getting more details, but he did confirm the department held two community meetings with residents from both apartment communities.

In a press release Tuesday, Wiseman wrote that a wildlife control operator hired by Cranberry Run had found thatbats were entering attics through exposed holes and gaps. The health department was notified about a similar bat problem in Perrywood Gardens days after the first sightings at Cranberry Run.

Because of the risk of rabies, a fatal illness, and other potential diseases from thebats, Wiseman said the department spent several days posting signs and knocking on doors to advertise the meeting and make residents aware of the potential health hazard.

"We're involved in the exclusion of the bats from a public health [standpoint]," he said, adding that the management of both apartments would be responsible for getting rid of the bats.

The health department is seeking anyone who may have lived in the apartments after Jan. 1, 2011 and who may have been exposed to bat saliva and subsequently, are at a higher risk for rabies. Current and former residents, according to the health department release, are encouraged to contact the health department, 410-612-1774.

Pet owners, too, are encouraged to get their animals a booster vaccination for rabies, in case they have come into contact with bats.

Health department officials said the apartments' management would work with wildlife control to expel the bats.

The manager of Cranberry Run Apartments had "no comment," but Community Manager Angie Mullings, of Perrywood Gardens, said they were handling the situation.

"We're currently in the process of having bat exclusions [done]," she said.

Perrywood Gardens had a similar problem approximately eight years ago, she added, and maintenance was able to successfully remove the bats. But this time around, the health department, according to Mullings, "incite[d] fear among residents and maintenance staff."

Because the maintenance staff is uneasy about handling the situation themselves, Mullings said protective gear had been purchased for them until she hears back on proposals to wildlife control operators for them to take care of the problem.

For now, she said Tuesday, they are still in the exclusion process.

To read the full Harford County Health Department statement visit http://www.exploreharford.com.