Rabies

[HuckleberryBlackcurrant]

We found a bat in our spare room today. We live in the US. It is currently triple bagged in our refrigerator waiting to be sent to the health authority for analysis for rabies. We won't know if the bat is rabid until Wednesday. We are terrified. We have no idea when or how it got in. We have 2 kids and I am 37 weeks pregnant.

Apparently rabies vaccinations can cost thousands of dollars which we really can't afford right now .

If you believe in the power of prayer please send one up for us. We are very very scared.

um...
1/200 chance this specific bat had rabies
? 1/2000 chance this specific bat bit someone in the household & they didn't notice ?

So what, 1 / 400,000 chance there's something to worry about ?
Has anything else every happened to you that had a 1/400k chance of happening?
How do you ever get in a car, btw.
As if worry is going to make anything better...

nb: I grew up in USA too. We had black widows, brown recluse, rattlers, mountain lions, chipmunks with hantavirus, lead paint, leaded gasoline, open-bed-no-restraints travel in pick up trucks, no seatbelts, crystal meth lab in the corner house, coyotes, possoms (they carry rabies too), kids flying down huge hills on skateboards with no protective gear at all, great white sharks, all sorts. No BFD.

@muddlingthrou it's fine, many people in the UK have no knowledge of rabies and what it can do. I studied some virology at the start of Covid and rabies of course gets a mention, the only virus that will 100% kill every victim. People sometimes say, it can't profit any virus to kill all its victims. Well clearly that is wrong as rabies is happily carrying on despite that, likely because of its ability to make the victim aggressive and so spread the virus via saliva before the victim succumbs.

OP I really hope this is just a scare and that the bat was sick with some other complaint, not rabies, and that none of you have been bitten.

OP, crossing everything for you. It’s not something we are generally aware of in the uk. I only know about preventative treatment through watching The Office US where Meredith being run over by Michael Scott means her close encounter with a bat in a bin bag comes to light and medics treat her. It seemed so ‘out there’ at the time that I googled it!

Looking for The Mad Death on Britbox now....

Its amazing the ignorance of people in the UK about rabies. I agree with another poster that its not in terrestrial animals here, but it is amazing how many people holiday and travel abroad and get bitten, scratched or licked by animals and are unaware of the danger. Cats in Turkey, monkeys in Thailand/Bali, dogs on beaches in India etc.

Luckily in the UK, we have a service that medical professionals can use and get post exposure advice and organise vaccines to be sent to the GP- at no cost to the patient. Its a busy service and they receive over 4000 calls a year!

Ah yes the old "It didn't hurt me so it can't hurt you" defense. I didn't die while in a car using seatbelts so you don't need them! I smoked 5000 fags in a day and didn't die - let kids smoke them.

Hummmm... your maths is a little off, the risk is 2 independent circles.

Bat with rabies × 1/2000

Or

Bat with no rabies × 1/2000

We don't have rabies in the British Isles though, @BiscuitBeast

How about you watch clips of kids going through a rabies infection and then come back to us with the 'hysteria' comments

It's present in the bat population and official advice is to seek medical help if you are bitten or scratched nby a bat.

The crucial thing is did the bat bite you. I've never known a bat approach a human willingly. We have one fly in a couple of times, cute little creatures, both times it happily left

One of the signs of a rabid animal is they approach humans/become uninhibited.

Wishing you and your family well OP. British posters don't understand how worrying this is.

Can the vaccine be used against the virus retrospectively?

Yes, it can be taken after exposure.

😂 I grew up in the US and we always had lots of bats (plus everything else that might have rabies, have you ever seen a raccoon? More than a bit terrifying, I got chased by a pack of them once!). Nothing to worry about. The first person I ever knew who’d ever had a rabies vaccine was my British Dh when we met living abroad and that was because we were so far from a major hospital in a developing country.

I think personally I'd get the vaccine if I had no idea how long it had been in the house for especially if bedroom doors were open etc.

Surely your health insurance should cover it, especially for the kids?

Sending positive thoughts, remember the chances are still so slim

Bats in the UK carry rabies. A woman died of it a few years back after (iirc) ringing wild bats.

You'd know if you or family had been bitten, op, try not to worry. A bat wouldn't attack you, it would only bite if you were handling it.

I'm not going to pray for you after you needlessly killed an innocent animal for no reason other than your own misplaced fear. Next time leave the poor little creature alone! Bat Got Into Your House? Here's What to Do - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

🤦‍♀️

Try calling your local pharmacy, I know that Walgreens round us have rabies vaccinations, so maybe one near you will and can let you know if its suitable for use in this case and specifically for you and the dc as well as your DH.

A quick note to say we in the UK have 18 species of resident bat, and that they are a protected species.

I'd be more concerned with not being able to afford a vaccination. People in the uk moan about the nhs and want the American model of healthcare. This proves we totally don't!

Hope everything tests negative for you Op

You would not necessarily know you'd been bitten by a bat. This 21 year old from Vancouver Island didn't realise he'd been bitten and unfortunately contracted rabies in 2019.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5213460

Very much hoping that the tests come back negative @HuckleberryBlackcurrant - I completely understand your worry.

This thread has informed me a fair bit. I looked up wiki and saw a video of hydrophobia and the rest

It all sounds horrendous