<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=Verdana size=6> <P align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=Verdana size=6>Seattle-King County Veterinary Medical Association</FONT>&nbsp;</SPAN></P></FONT></SPAN>

Seattle-King County Veterinary Medical Association 

website maintained by
SKCVMA-PIC
(Public Information Committee)

Change in rabies testing in King County

Owners of animals that have been in contact with bats will be requesting more assistance from their veterinarians in getting these bats tested for rabies.  Due to the current King County government budget deficit, Public Health—Seattle & King County will no longer be offering free testing for bats that have had contact with animals only.

Bats with animal-only contact can still be tested, but they will be tested for a fee at the Oregon State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.  Instructions on how to ship bats to the laboratory can be found on the Zoonotic Diseases webpage at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health.

Bats that have had contact with humans in King County will still be tested at no charge, but they will now be tested at the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Laboratory in Shoreline.  All submissions for rabies testing at the DOH Laboratory must be pre-approved by discussing the case with an investigator at the Communicable Disease Epidemiology section, 206-296-4774.