Bat flew into my hair, AIBU to seek further advice?

[SameOldMe]

Sitting in the garden and i bet flew into my head, no obvious marks or bites but terrified me ! Called 111 and they said as no scratches or bites just wait and see. It flew into my hair and in the panic i have no idea if it made contact or not. AIBU to call back and ask for a second opinion? Appreciate this if the second bat post in the last few days.

I wouldn’t have thought of rabies in the horror of it all. 😱😱😱

This is so bad and the other swearing belittling posts.

Terrible advice. Hope you’ve left already op

Why are you shouting?

I’m normally such a calm logical person but it absolutely freaked me out. I have no idea what a bat bite would feel like I just went into a blind panic , arms flailing trying to go against my instinct to get it out. I think I’m going to seek urgent advice first thing tomorrow morning.

@SameOldMe The immunoglobulin injection course is brutal because a) it's multiple injections and b) as much as possible needs to be administered at the wound (or likely potential wound) site, which is extra hard when it's your scalp. Just letting you know so you can be prepared if you need Ig injections. All the best.

There is rabies in the UK, bats carry it, as PP have said. The risk may be low, but not worth taking. I would go to A&E. Those posters ridiculing you clearly haven't had a bat fly into their head and get stuck in their hair. If it actually happened to them they may be less mocking. Good luck.

I do think you need proper professional advice in relatuon to the rabies vaccine.

But I'm sorry to say @SameOldMe I do have a vision of you as not quite the SameOldMe, once the moon is out, you may turn deathly pale, and grow wings and fangs and need a long warm drink from a long, elegant neck.

My friend's ex got bitten in the UK by something in the dark in his loft when he automatically brushed away something by his face, presumed a spider bite, as he felt a sharp jab. It got worse and worse, he became very poorly. He ended up in hospital being treated for "a rabies type infection," and was extremely ill for quite a while.

If I were you OP I would get myself to a&e very early tomorrow morning when it will probably be quiet. Good luck.

All this crap advice. Most bats don't even leave a mark nor can you feel it.

Seek medical advice !!!
Even if you wake up in the same room as one

I've got my third of four post exposure vaccines tomorrow. Scratches can occur and not be visible, also saliva is a risk if it gets into eyes or mouth etc. I was marked as category 2 because I made contact so they are jabbing me. Better safe than sorry! Lyssavirus is fatal.

There's a shortage even of the standard rabies vaccine, so I think it's very unlikely that she'll be offered the immunoglobulin version. Especially for a low-risk case. I just got the normal stuff, even after a deep and bleeding bite.

I live on a farm that hosts a number of bat colonies - mainly soprano pipistrelle maternity roosts (even three in the roof/walls of the house), but also other species in and around the outbuildings (including long-eared and Daubenton’s), so do end up handling lost / exhausted / juvenile bats on an occasional basis - but always wearing thick leather gloves because I am aware of the risks of lyssavirus (bat rabies).

The below is accumulated from a variety of sources, including the Bat Conservation Trust. Given the OP doesn’t know which species of bat she was dealing with, it pays to be on the safe side and seek advice and, if deemed necessary, preventative treatment.

In the UK, European Bat Lyssaviruses (EBLVs)—which can cause rabies—have been found in very small numbers in primarily two bat species: the Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii) and the Serotine bat(Eptesicus serotinus).

Daubenton’s Bat: Associated with European Bat Lyssavirus type 2 (EBLV-2), which has been occasionally detected at low levels since 1996.

Serotine Bat: Associated with European Bat Lyssavirus type 1 (EBLV-1), which was first confirmed in UK serotine bats in 2018.

Not Classical Rabies: The UK remains free of classical terrestrial rabies (RABV), but EBLVs belong to the same Lyssavirus genus and can produce identical rabies symptoms if contracted.

Transmission: The virus spreads only via direct contact, such as a bite or scratch from an infected bat.

Safety Advice: You cannot catch the virus simply by being near a bat. Never handle a wild bat with bare hands; if you find a grounded or injured bat, contact the Bat Conservation Trust or relevant authorities for safe removal.

I would go to A&E tonight

It is highly likely you will be fine
However bat bites can be hard to see
There is a vaccination protocol for this
Early vaccination can be effective - I wouldn’t wait.

(retired doctor in UK and have read about this recently)

Please don't wait till the morning to get advice. Please at the very least phone 111 back now.

This is something where the sooner you get seen the better - it's really really important not to delay it.

If ever there was a case of 'better safe than sorry' this is it.

And if ever a pile on wasn't needed...

Agreed. There needs to be a report button for dangerous health advice monitored by a doctor 24/7 in my opinion. Surely with all the millions in profit, MN can stretch to this.

if It were me I would call 111 and probably go to a and e in the morning.
what about buying the vaccine privately?
loke you I am scared of rabies too

Also for everyone saying there is no rabies in the UK. Lyssavirus is here in the UK and it is absolutely fatal, once you show the first symptom you are practically dead. It's very very similar to rabies by all accounts. I spoke to 111, UKHSA and the GP called RIGS when I had a similar encounter no visible marks but definite contact and I'm getting jabbed.

MNHQ has recently asked for reports on bad medical advice. Having said that, on this thread it's been made pretty clear that many early posts were very wrong.

Reposting this so that people actually read the leaflet -

If a patient presents themselves following a
bat contact incident in the UK or worldwide,
you must ensure a risk assessment is carried
out and they are given appropriate post-
exposure treatment

Similar situation to me, I had contact with a bat and had the full course of post exposure vaccines.

@MNHQ The advice & sneering on this thread is awful, as well as being incorrect.

Can you you please remove these posts?

I think you need to access professional help

”A rabies type infection”? Either it was rabies or not. Besides which rabies is almost 100% fatal once symptoms start to appear. It is vanishingly rare to survive, so it was very unlikely to have been that. Sounds more like a bad reaction 🤷‍♀️