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Deadly disease found in North Bend bat

White Nose Syndrome has killed millions of bats in the ten years of documentation.

<p>An image of the Little Brown bat, found near North Bend in March 2016, which died after contracting White Nose Syndrome. (Credit: PAWS)</p>

Washington is the latest state to be added to a concerning list of confirmed cases of White Nose Syndrome (WNS). The disease has killed millions of bats in the 10-years it has been documented.

Friday March 11, hikers along a trail near North Bend found a bat that was too weak to fly. They took it to PAWS in Lynnwood. On Sunday, the bat was found dead in its cage.

Laboratory results confirmed the cause of death was WNS. It is the first confirmed case of WNS in the western United States.

The bat suffered from late stages of the disease, which officials believe may mean the fungus has been around for years.

"The finding opens up a new chapter in our response to White Nose Syndrome," said USFW Spokesperson Catherine Hibbard. "We have more questions than we have answers."

WNS is caused by a fungus and was first found in the winter of 2006-2007 in a cave near Albany, NY. USFW also announced Thursday that Rhode Island is added to the list of 32 states altogether and 5 Canadian provinces.

WNS has killed millions of bats, an estimated 6 million but that's several years old. Bats are important pollinaters and eat insects.

Their estimated worth for agriculture is $3 billion a year.

"What we do know is that we're in a much better place than we were when WNS first hit the eastern United States," said USFW Spokesperson Catherine Hibbard.

Officials are considering experimental treatments to contain WNS.

Here is a map of where White Nose Syndrome has been found.

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