The Associated Press

CLEVELAND - More bats with rabies are being found in the summer this year, the state health department said.

The department is not sure of the reason for the increase, but spokesman Kristopher Weiss said one theory is that more bats are being trapped and tested, resulting in more findings.

Twenty bats have tested positive for rabies so far this year, compared with only 13 to 15 rabid bats at this time in recent years.

About half of the 20 bats confirmed to have rabies have been found in four counties in northeast Ohio. Medina has had three rabid bats, while Summit and Trumbull had two each and Mahoning had one.

Hamilton County in southwest Ohio also has had three rabid bats, and the rest were single cases scattered throughout the state.

"Typically, we see rabid bats in August and September," Weiss said.

Debbie Nofzinger, a bat expert with the Wood County Park District in northwest Ohio, said she suspects more rabid bats are being found because more people are encountering them.

"The population of people is starting to spread out more and taking over areas where these bats inhabit, so they're easier to come across," Nofzinger said. "The places that used to be wild are turning into housing developments."

Only 0.5 percent of bats have rabies, she added. Bats become more active in July and August, and Nofzinger said they begin migrating at the end of August.

"There might be a greater influx of bats into the area then," she said.

Rabies, a brain disease caused by a virus in the saliva of an infected animal and transmitted by bites, is nearly always curable if treated soon enough but almost always fatal if not.

Weiss said Ohio's rabid bats are most likely big brown bats or little brown bats, although the department does not specifically identify the species.

People should not be alarmed, Weiss said.

"If you see a bat that is active during the day, or you see it on the lawn or in a room and it is approachable, it is probably sick," Weiss said. "You should stay away from it."

People who capture a bat should wear gloves and avoid direct skin contact. They should also avoid damaging the bat's head or drowning to prevent ruining officials' ability to test for rabies. After capture, the local health department should be called immediately, Weiss said.