Bats in bedroom - rabies risk?

[BatShitCrazyInBelgium]

We are on holiday in Belgium and two nights ago had the windows open and 4/5 bats flew into the room and were in there while we were asleep, but no idea how long for. I’m not aware that I was bitten, but am now worried that I could have been whilst I was asleep. There are no visible bite or scratch marks that I can see.

Do you think I need rabies treatment? I’m not back in the U.K. until Sunday and there are no hospitals nearby where we are.

No rabies in Belgium

www.fasfc.be/animalsanimal-healthanimal-diseases/all-mammal-species

Why would the bats have bitten you? They eat tiny flying insects.

I'm sure you would know if you'd been bitten.

You don't need treatment for rabies.

Bats carry rabies, even in rabies-free countries. Even in the UK.

I would get the vaccination now if I were you, OP. Even though the risk is tiny, it’s not a risk worth taking.

Thank you! I’m sure I would have woken up if I’d been bitten but I had had a few wines which normally means I sleep through anything.

Major over reaction!

• Bats wouldn't bite you - why would they?
• If they did, you'd know about it.

Why the hell would bath bite you, leave no marks and give you rabies from a rabies free country?

had you had a few wines when you wrote this too 😋

I think this person is taking the mick no case of rabies has been detected in bats in belgium for decades 😂

There's a bat in my bedroom, what am I gonna do?

(Nothing, you're OK, have a nice trip)

Unless you're a moth, I reckon your probably safe.

Wut. I grew up in an old house in the country; we would frequently have bats fly into the rooms in the summer months, normally babies. We just picked them
up in an old t shirt and carried them outside. This is a bit like getting a rabies jab because you took a nap near a dog park.

Don't you really need it within 24 hours anyway? Not much good waiting til you get home. But surely you'd know if they bit you?

A bat flew in my daughters room in the UK last year. I called the GP for advice. There is a bat department that they reported it to and they called me.

My DD was 18 if she had been drinking she would of been sent for a rabies jab. They were confident you would wake if bitten sober.

It’s a particular strain of rabies that is only carried by bats. Bite bats do not leave a mark and you don’t necessarily know you’ve been bitten. Anyone who finds a bat in their bedroom should err on the side of caution and assume that they may have been bitten and that the bat is carrying the rabies virus:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/902947/Bat_Contact_Rabies_Risk_Leaflet_2020126.pdf

Jesus, rabies is not something you mess about with.

They're not bloody vampire bats! They're insect eating mammals.

You are not an insect, it will not bite you! It might poop on you, mind.

I don’t think it’s a completely stupid thing to ask. In the US, where rabies is very prevalent in bats, CDC advice is to get the vaccine if you discover one in your bedroom when you’ve been asleep. Most people know classic rabies has been wiped out in the UK but not necessarily that rabies in bats isn’t prevalent in eg Belgium.

Vampire bats are not found in Europe, they are on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in South America.

I had absolutely no idea this was a potential issue here, so I'm glad you posted it as I'm the sort of idiot who sees an animal in distress and throws all common sense out of the window to rescue it. Though apparently there's only one known case of transmission of rabies to a human from a bat in the uk.

I have some recent experience of this, my 18mo DC picked up a bat off our kitchen floor and then cried. We didn't know if she'd been bitten or was just shocked. A bit of research told us that you might not see a bat bite so we went through 111 who passed us on to our GP, who was dismissive at first but after some pressure from us spoke to a national expert who did indeed recommend vaccination. It's incredibly rare to find rabies in bats in Europe, but not something you want to take any chances with. That said, I think the difference in our situation was that the 18mo actually touched the bat. I think a bat flying round a room would be incredibly unlikely to randomly bite a person.

I strongly suggest you read up on rabies transmission
this advice is nonsensical.

Iirr, there's more a risk of transmission through them drinking from your night time glass of water and then you drinking from it.

You've been watching too many horror movies!

The link you’ve provided literally says that bat bites are usually felt. They are described as feeling like sharp needle jabs. They also only occur when you’re in contact - OP had no contact with a bat.

theres zero reason for a bat to proactively swoop down and bite the OP in her sleep.
she didn’t handle or harass them.

bats live in attics and old houses for years with zero risks.
the scaremongering on this thread is bizarre.

Have you read the news about people who died after bitten by bats, and refused the shot?
If you find bite marks, and feel ill, accept medical treatment. Then I'm sure you should be fine.
Go see a GP if you are worried, but I'm sure you are not bitten, and you should be fine.

Oh no you were serious? I thought you were having a laigh at the ops expense.

she’s not got Rabies. Calm yourself