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?

Probably a young bird learning to fly, It's happened to me. Just shower and wash your hair, worst scenario could be the odd flea from a bat or bird. Dont worry about it.

Lots of stupid people on here.

first of all there are bats with rabies in the UK
second, bat’s bite is tiny and unnoticeable
third, rabies can be spread by saliva too

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c982m1m95q9o

This happened to me before and it was a stag beetle. Also happened to a friend of mine at this time of year. They are very big and dark and more likely to fly into you by far than a bat.

Or gullible?

Good god, this is at least the 3rd bat related/rabies from a bat bite thread in what a week or so?
Literally bay shit behaviour!!

You'd wonder if it's AI.

I'd just call really, it's what it's for.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rabies-risks-from-bat-bites/information-for-individuals-who-have-been-bitten-by-a-bat

The facts / advice are here. Contact with a bat even without obvious broken skin is serious. Bat teeth are tiny and do not necessarily leave broken skin.

I don't know whether they roost in hedges, I do know they fly into people because people have filmed them doing such on ring cameras etc...

The guidance is there so you don't need to be told nonsense by online bullies (with little awareness)and people who get a thrill attacking someone whose had a fright 🍀

FROM Government Guidance above:

"Those who need medical advice
You should contact your doctor straight away if you have been bitten or scratched by a bat. Bat bites are often felt and not seen, and may not bleed or leave an obvious mark on the skin.

After contact with a bat, it is important to:

wash the area of any bite or scratch with soap and water immediately
contact a health professional promptly so that they can assess the exposure and arrange post-exposure treatment. Even if you have had rabies vaccine before, it is still important to seek medical advice"

Wasnt this exact same thing posted a few weeks ago? OP only one person in the UK in the last 50 years has caught rabies from a bat and he was a professional bat handler.

You can't always tell if you've been bitten or scratched. That's why they give rabies vaccinations to anyone who presents after possible physical contact with a bat (yes, really, check the other bat thread!).

Had a bat in my house last month. Bat specialist said this is the time of year that juvenile bats are learning to hunt for themselves, and just like teenagers, make dumb choices like going into houses and flying in to people. That’s why a flurry of bat posts - ‘tis the season and all that. He also reassured me that bats don’t target people to bite, and that one flying around is unlikely to be sick - most sick bats will crawl around v flying.

Oh not this again!
What is this, the 4th post now? All with slightly different details.

Presumably they know the zoo bats don't have rabies.

I imagine he had a rabies vaccination due to the nature or his work.

111 were useless for a recent poster. Have a look at the national advice

really? Wow. My old school friend Peter got bitten by a spider once when we were on a school trip to a science lab. He turned a bit weird. Started wearing tights and climbing on the outside of buildings and stuff.

@OneQuickCoralQuoter honestly. Ring 111. They will say go to a&e. A&e will give you a jab. There's no diagnosis or risk discussion to be had so hopefully that reduces any fear of the unknown. Unfortunately it's probably going to result in an a&e wait but that's all.

But none of this applies to imaginary bats.

Hello OP, I am an ecologist.

First of all, a bat would be very unlikely able to bite or scratch you in flight.

Secondly, the 2 species you're talking about do indeed carry lyssaviruses, which cause rabies. However, most individuals of these species do not have the virus. Serotine bats aren't very common, and Daubenton's bats are mostly seen by water. If you're in the north, you won't even have Serotine bats in your area.

Third, only 1 person has died from rabies contracted within the UK since 1902, and that guy spent his entire career handling bats!

So all in all, I think you are quite safe. :)

P.S. I have been bitten by bats quite a few times while researching abroad. When it breaks the skin it is small, but definitely noticeable.

We do, surprisingly!

Only if it was a cricket bat.

Maybe it’s some bot way to raise awareness of the very slim possibility of catching rabies from a bat in the UK (it’s possible! I have bats roosting at my house and it made me anxious for a while when I discovered this).

Ah, that’ll have been Matt the Bat Berry (or one of his vampire housemates) from Staten Island then

All of those things you say may be true. (Or nearly true — the bats have viruses related to rabies.)

But assuming it was a bat and not a large moth, surely a bat can bumble into an obstacle and bumble off again without biting the obstacle or licking it?

False.