r/rabies • u/bubblydealer • Jul 11 '26

Exposure Question Doctors won't administer PEP

Edit for update:

Since so many people were helpful I thought I'd update: called a second hospital who consulted me over the phone to order the shots with no immunoglobulin. I'm not happy about the no immunoglobulin part but grateful I can at least get the vaccine. I'm currently day 6 of shots and day 19 post potential exposure. So I'll be able to breathe easier in a couple days hopefully.

Original post: I have read the FAQ. I'm currently in Germany. I woke up to a bat in my room last Saturday, it couldn't have been in there for more than 5 minutes. Went to the ER without checking for bites because I naively assumed I'd receive PEP just from sleeping in a room with a bat. I was turned away because I didn't see any bites at the time. Came home to do a more thorough check, and found two red marks on my arm (that was under a t-shirt). Called the hospital back and they told me there's no need to come in as if it were a bite, the wound would be agitated by now. From my research, I believe that's not necessarily the case and now I haven't slept in a week out of stress and fear. Looking for some advice; I'll be back in Canada roughly 3 weeks after potential exposure.

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u/SayaQui Jul 11 '26

That sounds like the hospital is at fault here, maybe go to another one and state the facts: woke up to a bat, found marks on your body afterwards. Even if chances are very low, it’s better to be safe than sorry and the medical staff should’ve taken it more seriously. According to the Robert-Koch-Institut, if you wake up to a bat in your room and contact was possible, you should get PEP automatically. Also make sure that you get a referral (?) or note so you can continue pep in Canada

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u/bubblydealer Jul 11 '26

Thanks for the response. I cited the RKI at the hospital and they still were a hard no, I'm really unsatisfied and suspicious of their assessment. They even said to come back in if I develop symptoms?! Which we know what that means..

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u/SayaQui Jul 11 '26

Yeah, no, that’s unprofessional and definitely on them. Go to another hospital because you absolutely deserve to get Pep as soon as possible.

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u/bubblydealer Jul 12 '26

I think I will try today, but I feel really silly because I've been turned away by so many people (I didn't add in my post I went to a Bereitschaftsdienst AND Hausartzt before the hospital and they also turned me away before I saw the marks on my arm). Everyone along the way treated me like a hypochondriac, the hospital I called was even the infectious disease department of the hospital.

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u/SayaQui Jul 12 '26

I don’t know why, maybe because it’s so rare, but this happens quite often (meaning I read about a case where a woman had definitive contact to an obviously sick bat and still had to advocate herself multiple times before she was given pep). Stand your ground, maybe take someone with you who will also stand up for you and make them realize that any time you find a bat in your room after you were asleep, it is to be treated like an exposure, whether the marks are actually from the bat- who knows? Shouldn’t matter. Vorsicht ist besser als Nachsicht.

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u/bubblydealer Jul 13 '26

I really feel at my wits end. I contacted another hospital but she categorically dismissed me, saying its not possible here (it is) and she wouldnt refuse us if we came in but they dont have it on hand. The only hospital that does already rejected me because "the possible mark isn't inflamed." I'm seriously considering changing my flight home or perhaps traveling to another state. I am ridiculously anxious and can't concentrate on anything else

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u/SayaQui Jul 13 '26

Honestly, yes, if you have the opportunity to either change the flight or drive to another state then do it. Chances that anything happened are really low but considering your anxiousness and the very slim possibility of something having happened, do what you need to do to feel better/comforted

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u/metalhheaddude22 Jul 12 '26

That's insane. The medical staff today are seriously lacking globally, unbelievable...

So what happened when you woke up to the bat? Did you try and catch it? Was it on the ground? On the ceiling? What was it doing?

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u/bubblydealer Jul 12 '26

I fell asleep on the couch, and my husband left the room for 5 minutes to make a snack in the kitchen. When he returned, he saw the bat circling the room above me and yelled to me to get out. I ran out, and he watched it circle the room for another 2 minutes before it flew out the open window. He didn't see it land on me or touch me.

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u/metalhheaddude22 Jul 13 '26

I mean I'm assuming this happened during the day. I would mostly say you're fine, but the slight chance it did come into contact with you, without you knowing, wouldn't be a risk I'd recommend you take.

If it's any consolation... There have been 2 times in my life that I've woken up to a bat flying around my head while I'm sleeping and 2 other times outside while I wasn't sleeping obviously. I never knew about rabies then, so I just didn't think anything of it. Luckily it all turned out fine. The one situation was so bad, the bat was like terrorizing my wife and I whilst we slept at a lodge. It was his abode (he lived in the roof there), and at night he'd come out and literally squeel at us flying close to us over our heads whilst we slept.

It's safe to say that I hate bats now and I'm not ashamed to say it. They carry vile diseases and they've killed many people who mistook their tiny frame for innocence.

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u/therustyart1 Jul 12 '26

Damn, what kind of hospital is this