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.

The OP clearly knows about rabies. I am not sure how helpful it is to go into huge detail about the symptoms and progression of the illness. She would benefit from support and understanding rather than specifics of the disease surely.

I've learned a lot from this thread.

OP, I hope you get good news tomorrow/Wednesday.

I'v got my fingers crossed for you op. I know how stressful it can be to wait for this type of result.

I also can't believe how many people are saying poor bat, ignore them. You did what you had to do for the health of yourself and your babies.

We are lucky...So far.

However many UK vets are concerned about the smuggling of animals from parts of Europe especially.

DEFRA suspended dog imports last year from Eastern Europe because of ''Non compliance '' of rabies paperwork.

Puppies from Europe have turned up here far too young to have had rabies vaccines/titre tests, never mind the parasites they have that aren't known here.

It will be a tragedy to lose the current UK's ''rabies free'' status because of smuggling. Brucellosis has already been brought in.

At least NZ and Australia are red hot on Bio security.

Yes me too. I had no idea that you could be bitten by a bat without realising it or that you should assume you’ve been bitten if you find that a bat has been in your bedroom overnight whilst you were asleep.

I confess that I thought the OP and her DH had overreacted initially, as she didn’t say that anyone had definitely been bitten. (I did know that bats could transmit rabies, though.)

Really interesting article about the only known survivor of rabies. If you google her name you’ll get a lot more of the background. But to date she’s the only known survivor to be cured. This article is more of a follow up, but it does give some of the background.

https://www.nbc26.com/news/local-news/jeanna-giese-16-years-later-surviving-rabies-to-build-a-beautiful-life

This one is a more detailed article on her treatment and recovery. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jeanna-giese-rabies-survivor/

All those posters that are having a go at the OP and saying she is overreacting should do some research! I grew up in the 70s and there were some cases in the news of people smuggling animals into the UK from Europe ( some countries there had a problem with rabies at the time). There were several really frightening documentaries/public service adverts shown with graphic pictures of people dying from it. Even some of the popular medical and police dramas had episodes about it. It scared me shitless and still does.
Even in the UK there is a tiny risk from bats. We had one in our building at work and the Bat Conservation Trust warned us to be careful and not to touch it with bare hands. The advice on getting vaccinated if one is found in a bedroom and you have been asleep is the same in the UK as in the States.
OP, thinking of you and praying all goes well
On the positive side the new vaccines are really effective.
OP
Please let us know how you get on.

Wow how scary, fingers crossed the results come back negative for rabies

Why on earth did your husband kill it? You could have shut the door and opened the window until it flew out, which it would probably have done that night.

I can't feel any sympathy for your anxiety when I hear about how you unnecessarily killed this little creature.

If it flew away it wouldn’t be tested for rabies

If it flew away it wouldn’t be tested for rabies

Right, but the family could have been tested for rabies if they are concerned.

That’s not how it works

Just give up making a fool of yourself. There is an expert on this thread proving you are wrong. Read it.

@SaltyCrisps go and do some research before commenting. Op has sought and followed official advice.

Do you struggle to read? Or are you on the wrong thread?

In case anyone is interested cough@SaltyCrisps cough

You’re just embarrassing yourself now.

@SaltyCrisps

The only way to be tested for rabies is after you are dead. So no, we won't be taking that route lol. You must be dense or lacking reading comprehension if by this point you don't understand why we killed the bat. 1 in 200 bats carry rabies. People can get bitten without knowing. Rabies is 100% fatal once symptoms starts. Not a chance we are willing to take and I'm sure you would make the same decision if it's a bat or the risk of your family's health.

If we get the vaccination without proof of a rabid animal encounter, we will be on the hook for potentially tens of thousands of dollars. So yes I chose to kill the bat rather than risk financial ruin. What a terrible person I must be.

@LizzieW1969

The chance that we were bitten and didn't know it is very very small. But given the potential outcome it's not a risk we are willing to take- to just wait and see.

I started doubting that I wasn't overreacting as well. Until I went in to the health dept this morning and saw just how seriously they are taking it.

You will know soon, @HuckleberryBlackcurrant Rabies isn't something to gamble with, for those doubters and ''Bat huggers''.

When my friend was bitten in India, she had had pre-jabs before travel, but had to have other jabs after the bite- had to drive some distance to get to a hospital that had the correct vaccine- and have updates in UK where they said it was a two year wait to be 100% 'Safe' even with vaccines. {That was a surprise}.

A parent at DC's school years ago was also bitten randomly and unprovoked in Goa by a black dog on the beach that was caught after the bite and watched for ten days to see if it developed symptoms- Thankfully she didn't.

A local Goa person said it was a local bitch who had 'Smallpox'...but turned out to be ''Small pups''...Dog was released after no symptoms.

The parent too had the vaccines, but it was extremely stressful for both families.

When we had a bat in our house it was sat in the hallway with our cat like 2 little mates. It was very cute. The same colour and the same face as our cat. We opened the front door and he didn't want to leave bless him. Eventually he fluttered away but it was a lovely having him as a guest for the evening.
Never occurred to me he might have rabies?.
Rip to the little guy in your fridge.

@strongcupofTea

Cute. If that was in the UK then it's entirely irrelevant to my situation.

I'm glad the health dept is taking it seriously, as that should help tune out the bat-loving gaslighters on this thread. I'm in Ireland, never seen a bat in my life, I don't think, but it's not hard to comprehend that what is a tiny risk in this part of the world is a really big risk elsewhere. The RIP poor bat comment is so silly. Ever eaten a chicken? Or a burger? Rip chicken 😐 rip cow.

The lack of comprehension of some posters is rather alarming, as the Rabies expert on here stated previously.

A sort of dozy 'Head in the clouds' bumbling where everything is cuteee and sweet..Wainbows and unicorns.

Heaven forfend if their children were in this situation..