Thousands of the winged mammals found West High School in Salt Lake City and Layton High School to be quite comfortable in recent weeks as they looked to escape chilly temperatures outside. West High also sits in a bat migratory path, and many are southbound this time of year.
County health officials say nearly 50 people may have come into contact with the bats, many of them students. That declaration triggered a swift response from Salt Lake and Davis counties in case any students may have been exposed to rabies.
“Once you show symptoms [for rabies], it is almost 100 percent fatal,” Davis County Health Department Deputy Director David Spence said.