Arizona students flee dorms after rabid bats overwhelm university

The Halloween season arrived early for university students in Arizona who have had no choice but to evacuate their dorms following a rabid bat infestation.   

Around 550 students at Northern Arizona University (NAU) were moved out of Mountain View Hill over the last few weeks, according to AZ Family. The accommodation, which predominantly houses first-year and second-year students, is to remain closed until the situation is resolved.   

Videos posted to Instagram […] show hundreds of bats swarming the outside of buildings on campus

MailOnline has reported that at least five bats have been spotted flying around the dorm in the last few weeks, as well as one sighting of a bat sleeping on the building’s ceiling. 

Unconfirmed videos posted to Instagram by students have seemed to show hundreds of bats swarming the outside of buildings on campus. 

Whilst there is no confirmation that all the reported bats are infected, Coconino County Health and Human Services has confirmed that another bat, found in the dorm in September, tested positive for rabies.  

Rabies is a deadly virus that affects the central nervous system and is spread by the bite of an infected animal or via direct contact with the animal’s saliva. The CDC has found that around 70% of Americans who have died from rabies were infected by a bat. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus is virtually 100% fatal once clinical symptoms appear. However, becoming infected in the US is rare, with fewer than 10 deaths a year.  

No injuries or infections have been reported

In a statement to AZ Family, NAU said: “In close consultation with Coconino County Health and Human Services, NAU issued guidance to residents on health and safety and initiated mitigation protocols throughout the building supported by a pest control contractor.” 

No injuries or infections have been reported, but a few students have received the rabies vaccine out of precaution.   

As well as relocating affected residents to nearby accommodations, students said that the university sent them an email detailing the correct measures to undertake if they come across a rabid bat. 

This advice included suggestions such as “shaking out clothes,” “moving items around rooms,” “looking under every corner,” and “patting sheets and pillows down.”   

It is unclear when the situation will be resolved, with the university vowing to engage in “comprehensive and permanent bat mitigation efforts” until the infestation has been removed from campus.