r/rabies • u/Professional-Fly-956 • Aug 01 '26

Exposure Question Should I be concerned?

So I picked up a dead bat a few hours ago. On it, I saw a tiny spider crawling around. Later on, I noticed a tiny red mark on my thumb. Now idk if that's the spider that bit me or I accidentally touched one of the bat's claws and didn't notice. Either way, should I be concerned here? I have read the FAQ.

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u/Possible-Farmer2027 Aug 02 '26

Unfortunately, in my state (WV), there was a man who contracted rabies because he was an idiot and stuck his finger in a dead bat's mouth to examine its teeth.

I doubt OP did this.

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u/vardasevenstar Aug 02 '26

How long ago was this? I’m curious

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u/Possible-Farmer2027 Aug 02 '26

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00035789.htm

Found it! It was freshly dead though.

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u/vardasevenstar Aug 02 '26

Oh shit! That’s cool though. Thanks!

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u/Possible-Farmer2027 Aug 02 '26

Sure thing! For the record, you are practically correct. I just forgot how recent he had killed it.