By Cassie N. Saunders, County of San Diego Communications Office
Jul. 23, 2026 | 9:38 AM
Reading Time: 2 minutes
County public health officials are looking for anyone who may have come into contact with a bat on Sunday, July 19, at the Yellow Deli Restaurant in Vista.
The bat landed on a table while a family was eating at 1 p.m. Another diner used a towel to collect the bat and bring it to the Humane Society in Oceanside. The bat was then delivered to the County’s Public Health Lab, where it tested positive for rabies. No direct skin contact with the bat by an individual has been reported at this time. 
If you or someone in your family or group had direct contact with this bat or you know of someone who may have touched the bat, County Public Health Services urges you to call your health care provider as soon as possible.  Only those who have direct contact with the bat, such as touching or holding the animal, are at risk for rabies.  
Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis is highly effective at preventing rabies if received before symptoms start. Once rabies symptoms start, there is no treatment and rabies is almost always fatal.
This is the 22nd bat to test positive for rabies in San Diego County this year. In 2025, 21 bats tested positive.
Public health officials remind residents: 
Respect the space of wildlife; do not touch or approach bats or any wildlife. 
If you have direct contact with a bat, wash the exposed area with soap and seek medical advice. 
Rabies symptoms can take weeks to months to appear, and once symptoms begin, the disease is almost always fatal. Prompt treatment after an exposure is highly effective. 
Rabies remains rare in humans due to prevention efforts. California’s most recent human rabies case occurred in 2024 in a Fresno County resident who was exposed to a bat in Merced County. 
Bats play an important role in our local ecosystem. Many species of bats live in San Diego County, feeding on insects such as mosquitos. Other bat species feed on nectar from plants and pollinate them in the process. You may see bats occasionally around sunset when they are most active.  It is important to respect wildlife and give wild animals space to play their role in our natural environment. 
Find more information about rabies visit the rabies dashboard for additional information about rabies view the County’s website. For more information about rabies post-exposure prophylaxis and prevention, you can contact the Epidemiology unit (619) 692-8499.
