The three most recent deaths occurred in two adults and one child, all male, who had direct contact with bats in or around their homes, according to a CDC release. In each case, the people chose not to get postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), which can prevent rabies from developing if it’s received before symptoms begin. “We have come a long way in the United States towards reducing the number of people who become infected each year with rabies, but this recent spate of cases is a sobering reminder that contact with bats poses a real health risk,” said Ryan Wallace, DVM, MPH, a veterinarian and rabies expert in the CDC’s Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, in the release.
Bats Are the Most Common Source of Rabies in the U.S.
Rabies is a zoonotic disease (communicable from animals to humans) that is mostly transmitted through an animal bite. In the United States, most rabies cases are caused by exposure to bats — an estimated 70 percent of the 89 rabies cases between 1960 and 2018. It typically takes about 3 to 12 weeks after exposure for symptoms to appear. Early symptoms can be similar to the flu, including weakness, fever, and headache, and discomfort, prickling, or itching at the site of the bite, according to the CDC. Rabies is nearly always fatal once symptoms do appear.
The Rabies Deaths Were Likely Preventable
Two of the bat-associated cases in fall 2021 were considered avoidable exposures, according to the report. One was attributed to a bat roost in the person’s home, the other to the person picking up the bat with his bare hands. In two of the cases, the person released the bat after contact had occurred instead of capturing it for testing. One patient captured and submitted the bat for testing but refused treatment, even though the bat tested positive for the rabies virus, because of a long-standing fear of vaccines. The two other people who died from rabies did not realize the risk for rabies from their exposures, either because they did not notice a bite or scratch or did not recognize bats as a potential source of rabies. It’s important to note that bat bites don’t always cause a visible mark but can still spread rabies through infected saliva. Any direct contact with a bat should be assessed by your doctor or a clinical health provider, according to the CDC. A healthcare provider should also be consulted in cases where it’s unclear if contact took place — for example, if a bat is found in a room with someone who is sleeping or where a child has been left unattended.
About 60,000 People in the U.S. Receive Preventive Rabies Treatment Each Year
PEP consists of a dose of human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) and rabies vaccine, which are administered on the day of exposure (the bite), and then a dose of the vaccine is given again on days 3, 7, and 14. The CDC estimates that approximately 60,000 people receive PEP each year to avoid becoming ill with rabies. The treatment is nearly always effective at preventing rabies if received before symptoms start. People who have been previously vaccinated for rabies or are receiving a pre-exposure vaccine (recommended for people who work with animals or will be traveling to remote areas) should receive only the vaccine.
How to Reduce Your Risk
Although your chance of getting rabies from any animal, including bats, is relatively low in the United States, there are a few ways you can reduce your risk even more, according to the CDC. The first (and most obvious) way is to avoid contact with bats if at all possible. If you do have contact with a bat, capture it (if you can do it safely) so that it can be tested. Never try to catch or touch a bat with your bare hands. Sometimes a bat can accidentally get trapped in your house. The Humane Society of the United States recommends the following steps.
Keep pets and children away from the room where the bat is.Close interior doors and give the bat a way to get outside on its own by opening an exterior door or windows.If that doesn’t work, put on thick work gloves (not cotton, as bats can easily bite through cotton) or use a rolled-up shirt and trap the bat with a plastic tub or container once it lands.Work a piece of stiff cardboard or paper under the container to trap the bat and take it outside.If anyone was exposed to the bat, contact your local animal control immediately and follow the CDC recommended steps for bat exposure.If no one was bitten or had direct physical contact, take the bat outside to release it. Most bats can’t take off from the ground, so tilt the container or allow the bat to climb a tree trunk or another vertical surface.
The society recommends doing a little investigating to find out how the bat ended up in your home. If you have an attic or cellar, inspect those areas to make sure there aren’t more bats and seal any potential points of entry.
Bats Aren’t Our Enemy
We also want to be careful not to paint bats as our enemies, says Amanda MacGurn, MPH, from the division of high-consequence pathogens and pathology at the CDC. “Bats are important species for the environment and eat insects that can carry other diseases. The problems come when humans and bats come into contact with one another, which poses risks for both bat and human health,” she says.
