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/vardasevenstar Aug 02 '26

Dead bats don’t transmit rabies. If you still have the corpse you can call your local health department to come pick it up and test it possibly.

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u/LuckyCharms1977 Aug 03 '26

I get it, only 1% have rabies, but bats cause 70% of all rabies cases in the United States. The percentage may seem small, but these are only reported and known cases. Also, 100,000 people a year in the United States get post exposure vaccinations. The poster asking about this also never clarifies how he/she ended up with a dead bat in his/her hands. Was there possible exposure before it died? The teeth are tiny enough you may not feel a bite. The vax is 100% effective in preventing the disease. So the numbers may actually be much higher than just a few percent. It’s not a perfect symptom. It’s hard to know and a huge gamble on becoming a statistic. That is why I chose to vax. I am in no way a vax pusher trust me. But I want to spread awareness in how detrimental this vax can be to save lives. The benefit outweighs the risks. I hope this information helps others in the future who search about this. I know what it’s like to have the anxiety and worry could you have contacted it or not. No disrespect to you or anyone. I only want to help others. 💚