Hundreds of Grand Teton lodge guests may have been exposed to rabies

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00:00At least 200 people may have been exposed to rabies from a bat colony inside Jackson Lake

00:05Lodge at Grand Teton National Park. Now, Wyoming health officials are tracking down visitors from

00:1138 states and seven countries who stayed in the lodge between May 15th and July 27th.

00:19Lodge employees were also notified about the potential exposure, according to Wyoming Public

00:25Media. But guests are believed to be at greater risk. The National Park Service says the lodge

00:30has cordoned off eight rooms beneath the attic where the bats created a colony. The colony was

00:35discovered following eight reported bat-related incidents since June. Some dead bats were sent

00:41to a state veterinary laboratory for testing, according to the Associated Press. No bats found

00:47in the impacted rooms had tested positive for rabies as of Friday. The Park Service says less

00:52than 1% of bats have rabies and urged visitors to follow its recommendations to reduce their risk

00:59of exposure. Those include avoid petting wild animals. If you're bitten, tell the local health

01:05department or a park ranger. Wash the bite with warm water and soap for 15 minutes. Rabies symptoms

01:12can take months to manifest. Once they become present, the disease often proves deadly, according

01:18to the CDC. Health officials are contacting people to see if any preventative measures need

01:23to be taken. Bat mitigation efforts are also taking place in the impacted rooms at the 70-year-old

01:29lodge. For more unbiased updates, download the Straight Arrow News app or go to san.com.