February 11, 2019

Department: Possible Rabies Exposure From Bat At Pacers Game

Referee Ron Garretson reacts as a bat flies on the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, in Indianapolis.  - AP Photo/Darron Cummings

Referee Ron Garretson reacts as a bat flies on the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, in Indianapolis.

AP Photo/Darron Cummings

Indiana health officials say people who had contact with a bat last week during an Indiana Pacers game have possibly been exposed to rabies.

The Indiana State Department of Health says anyone who may have touched the bat with bare skin when it flew around at the Pacers game Thursday in Indianapolis is urged to contact the department or a health care provider about receiving rabies vaccinations. The game was against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The department says the rabies status of the bat, which is no longer inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, is unknown.

Health officials say a person is considered potentially exposed to rabies only if direct contact occurs between a bat and the person's bare skin. So far there have been no reports of anyone having direct contact with the bat.

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