A routine call about a dead bat in Fremont’s Glenmoor neighborhood has turned into a full-on public health alert, after the animal tested positive for rabies, according to city and county officials.
The bat was found at a home on Logan Drive, where Alameda County Vector Control responded on Tuesday. The specimen was sent for testing and confirmed positive by Alameda County Public Health on Wednesday. As of yesterday, Fremont police reported no known human or animal exposures, but Vector Control staff said they would be going door to door in the immediate area to warn neighbors in person.
In a press release, the Fremont Police Department told CBS San Francisco that Alameda County Vector Control collected the bat and is leading the county’s rabies investigation. The department said samples were sent to the county public health laboratory for confirmation and that officials had not identified any related exposures at the time of the statement.
County health officials are asking anyone who may have had contact with the animal to act quickly. According to Alameda County Public Health, anyone who touched the bat or believes they may have been bitten should call the Acute Communicable Disease Program at (510) 267-3250 and seek medical care immediately. Pet owners who think their animals might have been exposed are urged to contact Fremont Animal Services at (510) 790-6635 and talk with their veterinarian about revaccination or quarantine options.
Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but prompt post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which includes a course of rabies vaccine and, when indicated, rabies immune globulin, is highly effective at preventing illness, public health guidance says. The California Department of Public Health stresses that possible bat exposures should always be taken seriously, including situations where a bat is discovered in a room with a sleeping person.
How to Protect Pets and Homes
Local vector control and public health officials advise residents not to handle bats, even if they appear dead or injured. They recommend keeping pets indoors at night when possible and sealing gaps larger than a quarter inch in roofs, attic vents and soffits to keep bats from getting inside. The Alameda County Vector Control website offers tips on bat-proofing homes and information on how to report dead wildlife for possible testing.
Local Context
This is not Fremont’s first brush with rabid bats. In April 2025, a dead bat found in the city’s Niles neighborhood also tested positive for rabies, and officials at that time quarantined and revaccinated the household dog as a precaution. Coverage of the earlier case noted that county vector control teams went door to door to notify residents, using the same public health contacts now being shared in Glenmoor. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on the 2025 incident.
For the current case, Vector Control plans to notify nearby homes directly, and the city is urging anyone with questions or concerns to call the county public health number or Fremont Animal Services. We will update this story if county or city officials release additional information.
