AIBU to worry after a possible bat hit my forehead?

[OneQuickCoralQuoter]

Hi all, this evening I decided to go for a walk as I’m struggling with my MH and anxiety - namely health anxiety. I was walking down a quiet street past a hedge when I felt something impact the side of my forehead. I was confused and thought something had been thrown at me but it appeared something flew off past me very quickly. I didn’t see what it was but due to the time I’m going to guess it was a bat.

My skin has no bleeding or wounds and I don’t think I was bitten or scratched by it.

However, I’m now completely beside myself. Google is telling me to call 111 for rabies advice but I text a few family members about it who seem to think it’s just funny and this is an over reaction, and my partner thinks the same.

i have extreme health anxiety so this is just a complete nightmare to me.

AIBU to panic over this?

Best response

Also not true.

More likely you got hit in the head by a large moth, they can wallop you pretty hard - I got beaned by a Red Underwing earlier this week and it hurt.

Whilst a pipistrelle bat is a bit heavier and has a larger wingspan, the Red Underwing (a notoriously clumsy moth) has a similar body size. The moth is far more likely to crash into your head than the bat is.

Either way, no bite = no possible route of infection. So forget about it.

Yes, we do.

What's with all these batshit threads just lately.

Don't be daft and read the actual medical guidance - she may have been scratched and it won't be visible.

Dosent need to be a bite, saliva from the bat entering, the eyes, nose or mouth is all it takes.

Are you a medical professional? Have you examined her?

Not true. We do. If you are in contact with a bat in the UK then you need to call and arrange to have the rabies team administer treatment. The risk of not doing so may be a very tiny risk of actually getting by rabies but if you do then you will 100% die. That is not a risk worth taking.

Stop spreading the lie that we do not have rabies in the UK.

But you’ve no scratch no broken skin no bite no bruise…. Please try and take a deep breath and look at it rationally x Having severe health anxiety is awful and I’m sorry for you but honestly you have nothing to worry about x

Dont need a bite, saliva entering.eyes, nose or mouth is enough. Also bat bites are often undetectable to the naked eye.

Bats don't fly around with bared teeth, ready to bite.
There's been quite the bat/rabies theme lately.

Probability= miniscule ( not impossible) Severity = death. It's not worth the risk. For those being dismissive please refer to the NHS guidance:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/rabies/?hl=en-GB

And yes you can be scratched and not realise.

This is the third bat thread I’ve read in the last few weeks. Has this forum turned into GothamCitynet?

I’m surprised bat houses are allowed at zoos if they are such lethal creatures as this thread suggests. There are thousands of them in there, flying round all those visitors. There must be multiple crashes into people every day but I’ve never seen mass hysteria about it.

You are not going to catch rabies from having a random object hit you on the head that you don't even know was a bat and didn't break the skin, get you in the eye or in any other way harm you.

Don't waste your GP's time on this, please.

Yes, you can pay for a rabies vaccination in the UK. You need 2 or 3 doses and they are readily available at some pharmacists and travel clinics. However, this is not usually advised unless you are travelling to an area with a high risk of rabies or have a high risk occupation.

Animals in captivity can be regularly tested for illnesses.

incorrect

Captive zoo bats live in closed environments with strict quarantine rules—they don't interact with wild populations, so the exposure risk is virtually zero. Wild bats are completely different.

3 bat threads in what one month ? really

I’ve picked up a baby bat from inside our house and taken it outside.

you won’t get rabies from one brushing past you. What a wonderful interaction with nature at dusk!

It was most likely a large moth. They are always flying into me.

This is very poor advice. Don't advise if you have no knowledge that's a dangerous thing to do.