CDC: No health concern after bat on plane

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Federal officials say dead bats have been reported at the Madison airport, the origin of a recent Georgia-bound flight with a bat on board.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that baggage handlers at the airport reported seeing live bats on a regular basis, along with occasional dead bats. CDC spokeswoman Danielle Buttke says bats generally don't die in open areas unless they're sick or suffered trauma.

She says federal officials are ready to lend their expertise to Wisconsin toward studying the possible bat colony.

A bat emerged on a Wisconsin-to-Atlanta flight Aug. 5. Buttke says federal officials have reached 43 of the 50 passengers, and none had a level of contact with the bat that required a preventative rabies vaccination.