Page 8 | Rabies

HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 2023-07-23T05:46:08+00:00

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.

EilonwyWithRedGoldHair · 24/07/2023 10:12

Refrosty · 23/07/2023 23:10

I think there are slightly more than 1, but it's still essentially a 100% death disease (post symptoms) because the 'cure' wasn't successful for almost all cases where it had been used.

I didn't even even know about it until a Rabies awareness video popped up on YouTube. It's very sad that so many children die of it. I wish I hadn't seen some of those videos tbh because you are essentially watching dead people. It's vile but certainly made me aware. I'll be vaccinating myself and the family if I ever visit certain countries.

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I'm amazed at the number of people who didn't know about rabies.

Like I said I can't remember what sparked my fear of it - on reflection it might have been my grandmother's story of a rabid puppy when my grandparents and DF lived in India - but I remember there being posters warning of the dangers in pet shops, newspapers expressing fears that the Channel Tunnel was going to lead to the reintroduction of rabies to the UK.

PollyThePixie · 24/07/2023 11:17

PinkButtercups · 24/07/2023 07:22

So your husband killed the bat but then he spent an hour looking for the bat that was apparently just sat in a field.

No OP you just killed the bat. That's sick.

I'm from the UK had have bats fly around nightly where we live. I certainly don't go round killing them.

Isn’t the Uk a rabies free country?

But then there is also this - I can remember it happening as I’m local to the area.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/nov/25/kirstyscott

Man dies from rabies after being bitten by bat

A man who contracted rabies after being bitten by a bat has died, a hospital spokesman said last night. It was the first case in Britain for 100 years.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/nov/25/kirstyscott

PollyThePixie · 24/07/2023 11:20

Engineerbynature · 24/07/2023 08:00

I am a former member of the rabies testing team in a US state public health laboratory.

This has to be one of the worst threads I have ever come across on MN, in terms of the shocking replies. The level of scientific and medical illiteracy on display by many is absolutely terrifying.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publish very clear guidance for this exact situation. Testing and prophylaxis (vaccination) should be done whenever exposure cannot be definitively ruled out, including when a bat is found in the home. The guidance states that in such instances the bat should be captured for testing.

OP, you have done everything exactly as you should. You are working with the local health department and following their guidance. Storing the bat as you have for testing is ideal, and will mean the lab is much more likely to be able to get a result.

Waiting for testing and results is a very stressful time for anyone who goes through this. I myself have also been through this process and had to receive post-exposure rabies vaccination.

I want to reassure you that the processes for testing and management of any required post-exposure prophylaxis are extremely rigorous and well-established. In the event of a positive or inconclusive result, the epidemiology team will work with you to identify exactly which members of your household should be vaccinated. They will also help you find vaccination services that will be in-network for your insurance. Your insurance will then very likely cover the majority of costs. The vaccination is 100% effective at preventing rabies when given in a timely fashion.

Ignore those suggesting that you should prioritize a bat over the lives of your entire family. Rabies is as serious a threat as it gets. You have absolutely done the right thing by taking it seriously. Anyone suggesting otherwise should be ashamed of themselves. It is a sad irony that people feel they can be so nonchalant about this horrific disease precisely because of the incredible success of modern public health management of the disease.

thank you for this. It’s much appreciated.

oakleaffy · 24/07/2023 11:40

@Engineerbynature , Thank you for adding your experiences here.
It is embarrassing how utterly ''Head in the sand'' and irresponsible some on here are, wagging a finger at OP, saying her husband was wrong for killing it.

USA laws appear to exempt people from killing bats in this case.

'A bat may be removed or hunted if it is inside a building occupied by people &c'

Good luck, @HuckleberryBlackcurrant ..Thinking of you and your Family.

Sux2buthen · 24/07/2023 11:58

Just remembering the time I found a dying/ dead bat on a path and stroked it
Then buried it when it died
Won't be doing that again

OCaptain · 24/07/2023 12:09

@Engineerbynature

This has to be one of the worst threads I have ever come across on MN, in terms of the shocking replies. The level of scientific and medical illiteracy on display by many is absolutely terrifying.

Completely agree with this. I'd add that there is an obstinate and proud quality to the illiteracy, too: the lack of knowledge is somehow a positive quality.

Porkchopexpress · 24/07/2023 12:14

Aprilx · 23/07/2023 07:25

Why are you terrified? Rabies isn’t airborne.

Rabies can be airborne.

QuestionableMouse · 24/07/2023 12:29

Porkchopexpress · 24/07/2023 12:14

Rabies can be airborne.

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Yes. This is why it's advised not to shoot a rabid animal in the head because it can spread a mist of infected brain matter.

Rabies is the closest thing humans have to an actual zombie virus (and may even be where the myth started!)

Original poster

HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 24/07/2023 14:21

@Engineerbynature

Thank you so much. I am getting ready to take it to the health dept right now.

OP posts:

oakleaffy · 24/07/2023 14:33

Good luck, @HuckleberryBlackcurrant
Hopefully a negative result for rabies.

GabriellaMontez · 24/07/2023 14:39

AxolotlOnions · 23/07/2023 21:01

If you find a dead one you send it in for testing, I've done it myself. You don't deliberately kill them! You had nothing to fear if you'd just stayed away, the bat was clearly in far more danger.

Nothing to fear. Unless it did have rabies. 🤔

Emmamoo89 · 24/07/2023 15:01

Hope you get a negative result. Ignore the aholes x

BiscuitBeast · 24/07/2023 16:42

BiscuitBeast · 23/07/2023 07:53

Erm, a prayers request is really OTT OP. Has anybody been bitten or scratched? If not, then please rest assured the risk of rabies infection is zero. Was it deceased when you found it? You handled it wearing gloves? Have you thought about how it gained entrance to your spare room - window left open?

Did you get photos of it?

Here in the UK there are local bat conservation groups you can call who are vaccinated and trained to handle/rescue/rehabilitate wild bats. I bet similar groups exist locally to you in the US.

Some incredibly informative information has come out of this post if you can sift through the nonsense. Apologies for my incorrect statement OP. All the best.

Original poster

HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 24/07/2023 16:55

@BiscuitBeast

Don't feel bad, I didn't know anything about rabies when I lived in the UK. I'm sure we are being overcautious but better to be safe than sorry!

OP posts:

Original poster

HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 24/07/2023 16:58

I dropped off the bat at the health dept an hour ago. When I went to the desk they called back saying, 'the bat is here', so they were obviously waiting for it.

They took it very seriously, took down all my details and when/how we found the bat, the people and animals in our house and their vaccination status. Our dog is current on his rabies vaccine but our cats are not.

The man who took the bat assured me he would send it off urgently and we would hear by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest.

I will update.

OP posts:

Cheesusisgrate · 24/07/2023 17:07

Interestingly I can't remember getting ourcats vaccones in cwntral europe. Dogs, yeas. I think in ours main risk were foxes. We had signs in woods if there were confiemes rabies so kept dogs on leash.
Or when hogs had babies

NaturalNineties · 24/07/2023 17:08

HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 23/07/2023 15:04

For everyone saying I'm ridiculous. The bat was very much alive when I found it. My husband killed it before we bagged it up. If I had seen the bat fly in and caught it right away I wouldn't be worried. The reason we are worried is because we have no idea when it got into our house. A few days ago our kids left the door open for an extended period of time in the evening so it could have been in our house since then.

The bat was in a bedroom next to where our children sleep and the door was open.

There have been people who have been bitten by a bat and not even known because the mark is so small. This bat was very tiny.

I guess it's not something that is on a lot of your radar screens, being in the UK, but it is very much a risk here. We have to keep our dogs and cats vaccinated against rabies, and we live in a rural area where we do see a lot of raccoons and other animals that may carry rabies.

I think if our health authority told us to send off the bat first thing Monday morning then they don't see us as overreacting. In fact, that is exactly what you are supposed to do. The lady that we spoke to was very concerned that my husband had initially thrown the bat away. He spent an hour looking for it in the field. It hadn't moved. That is a sign of a sick bat, or so the woman on the phone told us.

When I called her back to tell her we had found it, I could hear her relief over the phone.

Do some research and try and put yourself in our shoes. Rabies kills almost 100% of those who show symptoms.

For those asking about us getting the vaccinations, apparently they can be obscenely expensive if the bat comes back non rabid. We spent a long time on the phone with various clinics/hospitals and no one could give us any indication of exactly how much this would cost. Of course, this happening on the weekend means that we can't get a hold of billing at our hospital, or our insurance.

Maybe people think I'm being dramatic. I'm sure I am. Only 3 or so people die from rabies in the US each year. But it's not something we are wanting to take a chance on. We have three children to think about.

Good luck OP. That sounds terrifying. Hope you have some online or real
life support more locally. Most of us UK posters can offer kindness but no real experience or advice. Thinking of you.

Remember, the stats are on your side x

NaturalNineties · 24/07/2023 17:17

MrsSkylerWhite · 23/07/2023 23:05

You seriously need to calm down, unless it bit anyone (which presumably you would have mentioned).

In the UK, you would be committing an offence by handling it. Putting it in 3 plastic bags and in the fridge seems a tad excessive (mean).

Some people on this site are really stupid. Her second sentence said she was in the US.

NaturalNineties · 24/07/2023 17:19

JudgeAnderson · 24/07/2023 06:18

You found a bat and instead of helping it outside you killed it?!

You are cruel ridiculous people.

No. If you are capable of reading, you will see that you are being cruel and ridiculous.

NaturalNineties · 24/07/2023 17:20

PinkButtercups · 24/07/2023 07:22

So your husband killed the bat but then he spent an hour looking for the bat that was apparently just sat in a field.

No OP you just killed the bat. That's sick.

I'm from the UK had have bats fly around nightly where we live. I certainly don't go round killing them.

How many of those UK bats have rabies do you think?

NaturalNineties · 24/07/2023 17:23

This thread has made me embarrassed to be from the UK.

I know about rabies the illness but little about the spread and bat populations. I think that’s ok; we don’t have rabies here. But then for people to be educated and still be dismissive and rude is unacceptable.

Of course a bat’s life is not worth more than those of OP and her kids. Is this where ‘batshit crazy’ comes from?

Original poster

HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 24/07/2023 17:37

@PinkButtercups

As I've explained, my husband threw the bat, alive, into the field. Our intention was to release it and not to kill it.

However, once I started researching, I decided to call the health dept and that's when they advised me to try and find the bat. My husband searched for it and found it basically where he had left it. I think it's unusual that it hadn't moved for close to an hour.

He decided to quickly kill it because a. He didn't want to risk it getting away and not being able to test it. B. He didn't want to take a chance of it biting him when he picked it up. C. Because the health dept were going to have to kill it anyway. D. Because we had to keep a hold of the bat from Sat evening til Monday morning, and it felt cruel/not reasonable to keep it in a box in 38°C weather, and not sensible to bring it into our house. E. We were worried about it dying in the meantime.

He hit it quickly with a shovel and it was dead immediately. We hope to never have to do this again. We would never have killed it if we had seen it enter and leave our house with the full knowledge no one had been bitten, or of course if it never entered our house.

I am past the point of caring about the bat honestly. I'm more concerned with the health and wellbeing of my family and pet.

OP posts:

Original poster

HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 24/07/2023 17:38

@Cheesusisgrate

I do feel bad I don't have the cats vaccinated. I will be in contact with our vet no matter the outcome, as our cats are out doors 100% of the time.

OP posts:

NaturalNineties · 24/07/2023 17:49

HuckleberryBlackcurrant · 24/07/2023 17:37

@PinkButtercups

As I've explained, my husband threw the bat, alive, into the field. Our intention was to release it and not to kill it.

However, once I started researching, I decided to call the health dept and that's when they advised me to try and find the bat. My husband searched for it and found it basically where he had left it. I think it's unusual that it hadn't moved for close to an hour.

He decided to quickly kill it because a. He didn't want to risk it getting away and not being able to test it. B. He didn't want to take a chance of it biting him when he picked it up. C. Because the health dept were going to have to kill it anyway. D. Because we had to keep a hold of the bat from Sat evening til Monday morning, and it felt cruel/not reasonable to keep it in a box in 38°C weather, and not sensible to bring it into our house. E. We were worried about it dying in the meantime.

He hit it quickly with a shovel and it was dead immediately. We hope to never have to do this again. We would never have killed it if we had seen it enter and leave our house with the full knowledge no one had been bitten, or of course if it never entered our house.

I am past the point of caring about the bat honestly. I'm more concerned with the health and wellbeing of my family and pet.

You don’t need to give that bat a second thought. It’s an animal with a risk of making your family really unwell.

Honestly I would stop replying to people harping on about that potentially rabid bat. Just tell them to read the thread.

Pallisers · 24/07/2023 18:11

Best of luck OP. Sorry you got some truly stupid replies - but at least some posters admitted they posted in ignorance and had no learned something.

DH saw a woman die of rabies years ago - in Massachusetts.