Do Not Touch: What You Should Know About Bats, Rabies

It is probably safe to assume that most of us have heard of rabies. We endured the trauma of watching Old Yeller when we were young. We know we should vaccinate our dogs and cats against rabies. It is probably also safe to assume that most of us view rabies as one of those extremely unlikely risks that exist somewhere, but not something we feel vulnerable to, so we worry little about it. That is mostly an acceptable view.

Every day we get out of bed, we take risks. Most of our risks are pretty common, but not that impactful. We commonly do things like wearing shoes to protect our feet from injury. However, it would not be life-altering if we were to get a cut on our foot, or stub our toe. That is a high-frequency risk with low consequences.

Rabies is the opposite. It is unusual for people to get rabies, but when they do, it is almost 100% fatal. That is a low-frequency risk with very high consequences. Unfortunately, those are the kinds of risks that people seldom take seriously.

Rabies is a virus that attacks the central nervous systems of mammals. Rabies spreads through saliva, often from the bite of an infected animal. Kentucky has two animals that are the most common carriers of rabies: bats and skunks. In the U.S., bats cause nearly 82% of rabies infections in people.

Three people in the U.S. died from rabies after contact with bats in 2021. One was a little boy bitten by a bat while playing outside his home. One was a man who woke up with a bat sitting on his neck. The third was a man who had a bat fly by him and get caught in his clothes. Just before the new year, in Mexico, two young siblings died after being bitten by a bat while playing.

Bats are incredibly important to our community. They eat bugs. Bats pollinate plants, which help our foods grow. For example, no bats means no tequila, as they are the only thing that pollinates agave. Like birds, bats also spread seeds. Because of their value, many bats are protected. We do not want to hunt bats or eliminate them from our communities. However, for all of us to be healthy, we need to be aware of the health risks bats can present when they come in close contact with people.

People should avoid contact with bats. Contact means do not touch! That is simple enough, but contact also happens when a bat lands on you or touches you as it flies by. Bats clean themselves like cats. This means the rabies virus can be on their wings, claws or their teeth. Bat claws and teeth are very sharp. If bitten or scratched, you may not see a mark. Small children may not be able to tell you about bat contact. Because of those things, it is best to contact the local health department or the Kentucky State Public Health Veterinarian if you know you had contact; you wake up with a bat in the room with you, or you discover bats in a room with young children.

Talk to your family members about the danger of rabies. Help them understand why they should not play with wildlife or animals they do not know. Make sure pets are up to date on their rabies vaccine. If you see an animal acting strangely, call animal control.  Bat-proof your home to prevent problems. Bats can squeeze through holes smaller than a quarter. If you can get your pinky finger into a space, a bat will probably fit.

Rabies can take a while to develop after a bite, but if you wait for symptoms, it is too late! Remember, rabies is almost 100% fatal. Getting bitten by an animal can be scary, but there are things you can do. First, wash the bite well and see your health care provider. They may advise you to get treatment.

Treatment for an animal bite to prevent rabies is called post-exposure prophylaxis. It is usually a combination of Human Rabies Immune Globulin, which gives your body immediate protective antibodies against rabies. You only get this if someone has not vaccinated you for rabies before. They usually give this shot around the bite wound or in the thigh. In Kentucky, the first shot is only available through an emergency department.

There are also four vaccine shots they give in your arm over two weeks. Very young children might get shots in the thigh. If you are immune compromised, you might need a fifth vaccine shot. Rabies vaccines are safe and effective. Once you get the vaccine series, you do not need to get them ever again.

You can avoid rabies treatment by testing the bat for the virus. Testing can only happen with freshly dead bats. Safely capture the bat for testing if you can. This might be done by waiting for the bat to land and covering it with a container. Trap the bat inside by sliding cardboard under the opening. Call your local health department to arrange for testing. In Whitley County, call (606) 549-3380. You can also contact the Kentucky State Public Health Veterinarian at (502) 682-4048.

If you need help to get rid of bat nests in your home or business, you can get guidance from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. For hands-on help, you will need to hire a nuisance wildlife control operator. You can find more information about bats or rabies in Kentucky at https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/dehp/idb/Pages/rabies.aspx or https://fw.ky.gov/Wildlife/Pages/Small-Mammals-and-Bats.aspx#QA.