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El Paso County confirms first rabies cases of 2026 in bats

Krdo · · 403 words · By Abby Smith
open_in_new Read the original article: https://krdo.com/news/2026/05/21/el-paso-county-confirms-first-rabies-cases-of-2…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

14 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

verified Verified By Reference 4
schedule Pending 4
help Insufficient Evidence 3
cancel Disputed 2
info Single Source 1
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“Two bats collected in different parts of El Paso County have tested positive for rabies, marking the county’s first confirmed rabies cases of 2026”
DISPUTED
The claim states these are the first cases of 2026. However, the provided evidence from web searches describes rabies cases in El Paso County occurring in 2024 and 2025. Specifically, one source mentions a bat testing positive in 2025 as the 'first animal in the county to test positive for the disease in 2025'. There is no evidence supporting a 2026 outbreak; the provided search results for '2026' are unrelated (soccer seasons or dictionary entries).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — El Paso County is the most populous county in the U.S state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 730,395, surpassing the city and county of Denver. The county seat is Colorado Spring…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_County,_Colorado
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — El Paso International Airport (EPIA, (IATA: ELP, ICAO: KELP, FAA LID: ELP), Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de El Paso) is an international airport located four miles (6 km) northeast of downtown El…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_International_Airport
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 El Paso Locomotive FC season is the eighth season for El Paso Locomotive FC in the USL Championship, the second tier of professional soccer in the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_El_Paso_Locomotive_FC_sea…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The first bat was found dead near a public walking path at Fountain Creek Regional Park on May 14.”
DISPUTED
The claim specifies a bat found at 'Fountain Creek Regional Park on May 14'. However, the evidence from web search results explicitly states that a bat found on May 14 was located 'outside Grant Elementary School', not Fountain Creek Regional Park.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cascade Creek may refer to: Cascade Creek (Grand Teton National Park), Wyoming Cascade Creek (San Anselmo Creek), California Cascade Creek (South Dakota) Cascade Creek, in British Columbia's Cascade …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Creek
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There are a wide range of recreational areas and facilities in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parks_in_Colorado_Springs,_Col…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Spring Creek, previously called Spring Creek Basin, is a neighborhood within the East New York section of Brooklyn in New York City. It roughly comprises the southern portions of East New York between…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Creek,_Brooklyn
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Two days later, a veterinarian reported that a domestic cat had been exposed to another bat.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general veterinarian listings in Washington state and general information about the month of May. No evidence was found regarding a veterinarian reporting a cat's exposure to a bat in El Paso County on May 16, 2026.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — May is the fifth month of the year. May, MAY or may can also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_(disambiguation)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theresa_May
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Both bats later tested positive for rabies on May 20”
SINGLE SOURCE
While there are reports of bats testing positive for rabies in El Paso County (e.g., at Grant Elementary and Starsmore Visitor Center), none of the provided evidence confirms the specific date of May 20, 2026, for two bats testing positive simultaneously.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — El Paso County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 865,657, making it the tenth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is the city o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_County,_Texas
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO), founded in 1861, handles law enforcement in El Paso County, Colorado. The Office is headed by the County Sheriff, an elected official.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_County_Sheriff's_Offic…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — El Paso County is the most populous county in the U.S state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 730,395, surpassing the city and county of Denver. The county seat is Colorado Spring…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_County,_Colorado
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“the exposed cat had already been vaccinated against rabies”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence contains dictionary definitions of the word 'domestic' and general information about El Paso, but contains no information regarding the vaccination status of a specific cat exposed to a bat.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — El Paso (English: ; Spanish: [el ˈpaso] , lit. 'the route' or 'the pass') is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. It is the 22nd-most populous city in the U.S., sixt…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso,_Texas
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — El Paso County is the most populous county in the U.S state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 730,395, surpassing the city and county of Denver. The county seat is Colorado Spring…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_County,_Colorado
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — El Paso County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 865,657, making it the tenth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is the city o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_County,_Texas
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Rabies is a deadly virus that attacks the brain and nervous system.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Multiple authoritative sources, including Wikipedia and Agria Pet Insurance, confirm that rabies is a deadly viral infection that attacks the brain and nervous system.
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web search NEUTRAL — Dog-mediated rabies. Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease affecting the central nervous system.As the virus moves to the central nervous system, progressive and fatal inflammation …
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies
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web search NEUTRAL — Rabies is a deadly viral infection that affects the brain and nervous system of mammals. Once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal, but thankfully it’s preventable with timely vaccinati…
https://www.agriapet.co.uk/guides-and-advice/what-is-rabies/
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web search NEUTRAL — Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease that causes acute and severe encephalitis in humans and other mammals.[1] It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies
verified
“It is most commonly spread through bites or scratches from infected animals, including bats, skunks, raccoons and foxes.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The CDC and Wikipedia confirm that rabies is primarily spread through bites or scratches from infected animals, specifically mentioning bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In animals, rabies is a viral zoonotic neuro-invasive disease which causes inflammation in the brain and is usually fatal. Rabies, caused by the rabies virus, primarily infects mammals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies_in_animals
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web search NEUTRAL — Rabies spreads primarily through bites or scratches from an infected animal.Collage image of a fox, a bat, a skunk and a raccoon. Overview. Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease. It can be s…
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/about/index.html
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web search NEUTRAL — Rabies infects mammals, including dogs, cats, livestock and wildlife. Rabies spreads to people and animals via saliva, usually through bites, scratches, or direct contact with mucosa (e.g. eyes, mouth…
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies
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“Animals that have tested positive for rabies in El Paso County, by year... 2025: 5 (bats)”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
The claim states 5 bats tested positive in 2025. However, the evidence from a web search explicitly states that 'last year [referring to the year before 2025], six animals tested positive for rabies in El Paso County. All of them were bats.' and another source mentions a bat in 2025 was the 'first animal in the county to test positive'. The number 5 is not corroborated; the evidence points to 6 in the previous year.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — El Paso County Public Health (EPCPH) says that human contact with the bat was reported on Aug.Last year, the county says that six bats tested positive for rabies, and 16 animals tested positive back i…
https://krdo.com/news/2025/08/06/a-bat-has-tested-positive-f…
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web search NEUTRAL — The bat, which tested positive for rabies on Tuesday, is the first animal in the county to test positive for the disease in 2025.The health department said last year, six animals tested positive for r…
https://www.kktv.com/2025/08/07/bat-found-colorado-springs-t…
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web search NEUTRAL — (EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — A bat found at the Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center in North Cheyenne Canyon has tested positive for rabies, marking the first animal in the county with the disease.
https://www.fox21news.com/news/local/bat-tests-positive-for-…
help
“Animals that have tested positive for rabies in El Paso County, by year... 2024: 6 (bats)”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm or deny the number of rabies cases in 2024.
help
“Animals that have tested positive for rabies in El Paso County, by year... 2023: 2 (bats)”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm or deny the number of rabies cases in 2023.
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“Animals that have tested positive for rabies in El Paso County, by year... 2022: 4 (bats)”
PENDING
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“Animals that have tested positive for rabies in El Paso County, by year... 2021: 7 (3 bats, 3 skunks, 1 cat)”
PENDING
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“Animals that have tested positive for rabies in El Paso County, by year... 2020: 10 (5 bats, 4 skunks, 1 sheep)”
PENDING
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“Animals that have tested positive for rabies in El Paso County, by year... 2019: 16 (9 skunks, 5 bats, 1 fox, 1 dog)”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.