Thunder Bay District Health Unit : Bats and Rabies

Most bats do not have rabies.
Bats play key roles in ecosystems around the globe, from rain forests to deserts, especially by eating insects, including agricultural pests.
Most of the recent human rabies cases have been caused by rabies virus from bats
They are neither rodents nor birds.
They will not suck your blood.
Bats are not blind

What should I do if I come in contact with a bat?

Bats have small teeth which may leave marks that are not easily seen.

There are situations in which you should seek medical advice even in the absence of an obvious bite wound.

Seek medical attention immediately, then call the Health Unit if you:

awaken and find a bat in your room, or
see a bat in the room of an unattended child, or
see a bat near a mentally impaired or intoxicated person

If you are bitten by a bat -- or if infectious material (such as saliva) from a bat gets into your eyes, nose, mouth, or a wound:

Wash the affected area thoroughly.
Contact your Doctor, immediately.
Contact the Health Unit’s Environmental Health Program.

Whenever possible, the bat should be kept for laboratory rabies testing.

If a bat is present in your home and you cannot rule out the possibility of exposure:

Leave the bat alone and contact your local veterinarian and Public Health Inspector immediately.
Never handle a bat without leather work gloves.

How can I keep bats out of my home?

Some bats live in buildings, and there may be no reason to evict them if there is little chance for contact with people. However, bats should always be prevented from entering rooms of your home, camp, sauna, or other living areas.

Carefully examine your home for holes that might allow bats entry into your living quarters. Any openings larger than a quarter-inch by a half-inch should be caulked. Use window screens, chimney caps, and draft-guards beneath doors to attics, fill electrical and plumbing holes with stainless steel wool or caulking, and ensure that all doors to the outside close tightly.

Additional "bat-proofing" can prevent bats from roosting in attics or buildings by covering outside entry points. Observe where the bats exit at dusk and exclude them by loosely hanging clear plastic sheeting or bird netting over these areas. Bats can crawl out and leave, but cannot re-enter. After the bats have been excluded, the openings can be permanently sealed.

Things to remember when "bat-proofing"

During summer, many young bats are unable to fly. If you exclude adult bats during this time, the young may be trapped inside and die or make their way into living quarters. Thus, if possible, avoid exclusion from May through August.

Most bats leave in the fall or winter to hibernate, so these are the best times to "bat-proof" your home.

Case study
In February 1995, the aunt of a 4-year-old girl was awakened by the sounds of a bat in the room where the child was sleeping. The child did not wake up until the bat was captured, killed, and discarded. The girl reported no bite, and no evidence of a bite wound was found when she was examined. One month later the child became sick and died of rabies. The dead bat was recovered from the yard and tested--it had rabies.

This case demonstrates several points:

This child's infection with rabies was most likely the result of a bat bite. Children sleep heavily and may not awaken from the presence of a small bat. A bat bite can be superficial and not easily noticed.
The bat was behaving abnormally. Instead of hiding, the bat was making unusual noises and was having difficulty flying. This strange behavior should have led to a strong suspicion of rabies.
If the bat had been submitted for rabies testing, a positive test would have led to life-saving anti-rabies treatment.

Remember, in situations in which a bat is physically present and you cannot reasonably rule out having been bitten, safely capture the bat for rabies testing and seek medical attention immediately.

The section "Bats and Rabies" has been adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Department of Health and Human Services, "Bats and Rabies, A Public Health Guide." http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/bats_&_rabies/bats&.htm (Accessed 3/26/07).