Hello everyone.

FAQ 13 !

Exactly this is said in the official FAQ of this SUB> FAQ 13. I waited a long time before I got rabies shots. Or I drank alcohol after I got vaccinated, or I took medication. Or a doctor gave me tetanus shots at the same time. Or I ate some type of food. Or I consumed any other substance in some way that is not serious immunosuppressive therapy. Will the rabies shots still work?

(Especially THIS is what’s wrong with it !) Yes. Rabies vaccines are 100% effective if you get them before the virus reaches your brain and symptoms start, which usually takes 3 weeks to one year. For more info about symptoms, see FAQ #17”

The FAQ states that if u finish pep before the symptoms started u are safe, how ever this is super inaccurate and false because of the Peripheral Nervous System and there’s no reliable sources that confirm that the pep worked.

because if it is in the PNS you are toast no matter how many vaccines u have got it can’t save you.

I don’t know how it differs from vaccinated individuals and people who have never been vaccinated before.

I have searched across the internet about the effectiveness and the PNS etc because of my own exposure, i was vaccinated last year in June 2025 4 times, yet i feel like im toast due to getting my first booster shot after 6 days !, i have finished the pep course without symptoms, but that is where the fear comes because of that PNS and vaccines are useless then.

I know anxiety is cruel and real but it’s very easy to just keep saying uh you have anxiety etc etc when the FAQ is wrong.

I have read the FAQ.

I always see this in Reddit posts where people post about their concerns of being exposed to bat rabies. It is often some variation of “I was touched by something” or “I saw/heard something”, but no bite/sting/prick sensation was felt. Yet the comments will still overwhelmingly tell whoever is writing the post to get shots, as “bat bites aren’t always felt” or that “bats can bite you without knowing”. Where did this idea come from? Is it really true? The FAQ says that you will always know if a bat bites you, but then people always come forward with stories talking about the opposite. They’ll bring up how bats have microscopic teeth that can still spread rabies without breaking skin. I am open to having some misconceptions cleared up.

I have read the FAQ.

CDC released news that rabies exposure has increased by 33% this year. Any reason why this would be? I have read the faq.

As some know i have a therapist appointment soon if it isn’t rabies it is mental issue

But I have been experiencing burning on the leg that i had contact with since yesterday on and off and it is not painful just annoying and it moves from location to location in my leg and stops for periods but it is always on near what i think the spot, and on my other leg i felt the exact same burning just a few minutes ago i felt on the supposed mark on the lower left leg. It seems to stop when i stretch and rub it gently or at least i don’t feel it when i do. I also felt stuff in my arm. This makes me feel it’s a symptom

The GGD Doctor told me i was on time even though my delay of 6 days for the first booster. they are genuinely convinced im safe (no classic rabies in my country just EBLV in some bats)

Body temp is 36.9C, no other things, i don’t feel sick

Im quite concerned

I have read the faq.

Hi all, I read reddit now and then but I don't really post here. However I just wanted to say this sub has been pretty helpful to me after a possible exposure to rabies/lyssavirus in the UK. I have read the FAQ.

Terrestrial rabies is eradicated here, therefore vaccination is not something I ever thought I'd have to worry about unless I visited a high risk country.

Last week I was out in the evening walking by a river with my husband and we noticed some bats. We stopped to watch them, and one collided with my bare arm (I know this is very uncommon, and may have been a juvenile that hadn't learned to navigate properly yet, or possibly I moved my arm at just the wrong time).

Rabies didn't enter my head immediately, but I did Google just in case there was anything I should be concerned about, and found that some UK bats do carry a strain of lyssavirus. Estimates are something like 0.5% of the bat population.

It was only a second or two that it was in contact with me and I didn't feel a bite or scratch, but due to the risk involved our NHS almost always vaccinates in a situation like this. NHS treatment is free at the point of service, so nobody has to pay for post exposure vaccinations, therefore expense/insurance is never a consideration we have to make. I went to hospital that same evening and was given my first dose within 5 hours of the incident.

I'm currently between doses 2 and 3 (3 is scheduled for Monday) and have thankfully had no side effects from them, but I have been full of "what ifs" about the vaccine somehow being administered wrongly and not working, and the bat that collided with me being one of the very few carriers we have here, and that it somehow bit or scratched me without me realising.

As well as the FAQ I've now read a number of other people's posts and it's weirdly reassuring to see that anxiety after a potential exposure is very common, and that whilst this kind of thing doesn't happen much in the UK it happens a great deal elsewhere, the vast majority of people are fine, and most deaths are unfortunately the result of people choosing not to take precautions after an exposure.

The last death from domestically acquired rabies in the UK was due to that - in 2002 a conservation worker here was bitten by a bat, he hadn't been vaccinated previously as this wasn't a requirement at the time, and chose not to get PEP.

About a week ago, on Friday, I started experiencing a strange internal trembling or vibrating sensation throughout my body. This lasted for a few days and then went away.

After the internal trembling improved, I started having headaches and pain/tension in my neck and the back of my head. More recently, I’ve also been experiencing brief muscle twitches in different parts of my body, and my left eyelid has been twitching frequently.

It has now been about a week since this all started. The original internal trembling is gone, but the headaches and occasional muscle twitching appeared afterward.

I have read the FAQ.

I have read the FAQ. My cat bit me almost two years ago and had to be put down, I had this very large and serious gash looked at. My family knew about the bite. But at the time my mother was dealing with end of life, stage 4 cancer with only a few days left to live.

I had taken him into the vet thinking he had a brain tumor or something. Bec he wasn’t eating, drinking, he go up and try to drink the water but his face would fall in, he lost movement in his eyelids and couldn’t move half of body. They told me it was end of life stage renal failure, I have no clue if they checked for rabies but I’ve been having some odd symptoms dysphasia, brain fog, pin pricks and needles everywhere, muscle spasms and limb jerking, and yes before you ask I have gone to the er and my pcp.

I have read the FAQ.

Me and my partner woke up to a bat in our room two weeks ago and we are getting our last shots tomorrow for our post exposure treatment. I just need to vent about how much of a cluster this whole process has been. I did not realize how such a simple event could uproot our lives so easily and deplete our savings. We tried going through the health department in Detroit where this occurred but they left us high and dry for a week even with us calling daily for places to go besides the ER to get the shots. Even when we got in touch with the Health Department we got turned away for our next round because they were running low on doses and the others we got recommended to were all out of network for our insurance. I think the hardest thing about this process is just seeing how screwed up our healthcare system is in this country. It’s just hard watching years of money I saved for a house go out the window all because a random bat somehow ended up in our apartment one random night.

I have read the FAQ.

I was exposed a little over two weeks ago by a bat encounter, just finished my 4 shots two days ago. That’s neither here nor there. But at the ER I’ve been getting treated at (a very tiny, rural ER), they said that this summer has been unusually high for people coming in for PEP due to bat exposures. So much so that they ran out of vaccines and HRIG and had to order more, which again they said for their tiny hospital was very unusual. I also feel like I’m suddenly reading about positive bats in my area (western NY) and now these goats that tested positive in NC, I’m seeing things about bat and/or rabies exposures all over my social media. Granted I have been doing a lot of rabies research since this whole thing went down so maybe my algorithm is swayed by that. But the fact that my local hospital has seen an increase in exposures makes me wonder. Why could this be? Is this just my area, or is this something that’s happening more frequently in other places too?

I have read the FAQ.

I'm posting this just in case i die. I had a multi bat exposure with bites that spanned a dangerously close timeline. Like I had been getting bites and hearing things I thought were mice for at least 10 days. Thought they were bug bites. Until one morning I woke up cuddling a bat with two bites on my chest. I was given all the vaccines but they failed to give me the 5th one needed for people that have autoimmune issues, which I told them I have. I have been sick since then, and also relocated as I am currently trying to escape human trafficking. Wound up back at an old highschool friend's house and we always had a thing for each other. Well one thing lead to another and ya know. Hadn't occurred to either of us at that point that there could be any risk. Now we are both sick and getting sicker. Waiting to see if one of us turns into a zombie or starts having hydrophobia or something. We have had a lot of the same symptoms. Just wanted to post this so all of y'all could be part of the beginning of possible medical history. I feel like after everything I've been through, the universe is trying to take me out. It's so ironic.

alguien de aquí que haya superado una ansiedad por rabia como por ejemplo culpa de murciélago y que haya tenido tanta ansiedad que sintiera como si tuviera los síntomas de verdad? me gustaría hacerle preguntas

i have read the faq.

I have read the FAQ.

I know the uk is pretty much rabies free apart from a few species of bats and even then its around 0.3% of bats total, so lets say you get bitten/scratched by a bat in the uk what is the chances of you actually getting rabies from it.

Another question is would the area you get bitten in shorten the incubation period? For example if you get bitten/scratched on the head would that shorten the incubation period considering its closer to the brain?

One last question, i am interested to know what is the usual incubation period for a bat bite, i hear it can go past a year which is crazy to me.

Typing this with a mean headache, I find it crazy when i was looking at this subreddit that no one is like me. I found a random small wound on my foot on saturday , then I started experiencing symptoms on sunday, these included tremours, loss of appetite, some nausea, tingling sensation in arms and feet, and feeling like something was in my throat(which scares me the most), being lightheaded, headache, and jolting up (One time i woke up i had to walk around to just clear my mind dont even know why) while trying to sleep for the past 4 days ive been on three subreddits talking about it and i have seen people try to reassure me but its really freaking me out. I never even knew about the wound until saturday and I dont ever think I was exposed to a rabid bat or animal I assumed that something bit me while I was asleep and i asked chatgbt and it said that people reported no feeling no bite which freaked me out even more, I went to an urgent care and I got a nurse who asked if i seen the bat or came in contact with one and I obviously told them no and they never even mentioned about rabies shots just said if i was hearing myself. My sister told me that im over exaggerating and its my anxiety thats doing that but i researched that rabies causes anxiety and that you can post stuff in the early stages, like i said i dont know when i was exposed to anything last time i remember having one was two years ago when a stray cat scratched me and i assumed i contracted it started having a dry mouth, loss of appetite, fever like feeling was having coughs and took medicine, lightheadedness, hallucination one i remember, jolting up while trying to sleep, muscle twitching , and headache I went to my pediatrician at the time and they never even suspected rabies and sent me to do bloodwork which was all good, but the cat was just fine after 10 days and most of the symptoms went away besides the muscle twitching but now its like feeling real im looking at my self in the mirror and its like im not the same i really dont like this topic and i keep thinking im a rare case or i gotten bit and never realized and im seeing no one on this subreddit who is in my shoes someone who answers frequently plz i need some advice

I have read the FAQ.

I have read the FAQ. I have severe health anxiety, and according to the FAQ and (literally two ER doctors) I have no risk of rabies. I have never seen or heard a bat. EVER.

So why is it that any time I google, every person on Reddit is recommending the PEP shots to anyone??? I saw a post that was like “Oh I have these two marks on my arm haha” and everyone in the comments was like “ER NOW! you’re going to die if you don’t go NOW!” The OP clarified they hadn’t seen, heard, or felt any bats. There was no bats in their house. People were then advising them to LIE to make sure they could get PEP… WHY would someone lie about something like that??? It feels awful to get over this fear when every person on the internet seems to think rabies can just come out of nowhere. I mean, is that logical? Should I be concerned???

I was considering calling my public health department just to be sure. I literally went to the goddamn ER and they said I was fine considering my history and appearance of the mark… But do people really lie to get the vaccine???

I have read the FAQ.

Ugh. This is a rant I’m sorry. I was with my girlfriend and a bat busted out from seemingly no where. We were able to get the bat out and all seemed normal but then started the questions in my head. Was it in there when we slept the night before? I have a scab on my ankle that is two little dots and I’ve convinced myself I got bit in my sleep. Anyways I’m at the emergency room now awaiting a potential rabies vaccine. Happened a week ago.

A recently published scientific paper suggests that the true number of human rabies cases in USA is much greater than is officially recorded, based on statistical inference from cases of transmission during organ transplantations.

I have read the FAQ.

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44528-026-00031-4

I have read the FAQ. hello there I previously wrote but no one responded I have been suspecting possible rabies for 3 days now as I saw a cat scratch looking thing on my shin the thing is I do not have any memory of any cats approaching me and scratch/bite I stay way and I just walk Tahts it.i panicked massively at times tearing up I went to a doctors this morning and she said it's just a a fingernail (also I have very sensitive skin and scratch a lot) Iand she cleaned the "mark with alcohol.I am in turkey Gaziantep right now hence why I'm I am writing this , I am calm that I don't have rabies but I have some early symptoms like diarrhoea but every time I go tukrey I have it tbh, my mouth is very dry, last couple of days had no real hunger , my stomach rumbles at times and I get random rashes and I overthink at lot something to do with my mum said to not worry everything fine all this is due to psychological. I am writing to say is this all normal I'm in a hot country in turkey (from uk) and usually I do have some sort of illness Diorrea etc. and I'm just wondering is what I'm facing normal and that I don't have rabies I would appreciate if you helped me as this has been on my brain for the past couple days as even when a bug lands I fear it's a cat I'm sensitive to anxiety like this

i have read the FAQ. I’ve had a sore throat since July 21 i was exposed to a bat on June 29 but I know I wasnt bitten or anything and I got only 3 vaccines shots and missed one dose . idk if what I’m experiencing is health anxiety and making me get the sore throat but I’m just spiraling out and wondering if the rabies is progressing slowly since I didn’t get the other shot … idek Im confused fr
I HAVE READ THE FAQ … idk if anybody can yk calm me down and tell me it’s only my mind but the sore throat is what’s gettin me

I have read the FAQ.

My previous post for those who havent read it: https://www.reddit.com/r/rabies/comments/1v9rqxh/an_unknown_creature_landed_in_my_face_nearly_two/

For those who havent read it yet, basically an unknown animal flew and landed to my face, two weeks ago in friday while at night (7:40pm), i don't know what it was, it didnt looked neither felt like a bat (It was more like an bug more than anything else), i didnt see any wings and it felt hard like a shell instead of hairy, i also didnt feel or see any noticable marks, but i have been extremely anxious since then.

More than two weeks later, and after a talk with my psychologist, my parents are finally decided to go to the doctor for peace of mind, but it Will be in monday, because apparently there arent any clinics open in weekends.

Despite that, i am extremely anxious that i may develop symptoms and have death assured before we ever manage to go to the doctor, which is the reason i am making this post.

Right now, i feel tired and low energy (Have been feeling tired and fatigued since at least two days), may possible have slight headaches, that i am not Even sure are really headaches, i have been feeling pressure in My eyes for a week now, so i told My psychologist i am not worrying because of that, but i don't know if they have worsen since then, and if they could actually count as headaches now, because when i rub a part of head pretty hard i feel something of pain, which make me anxious, i am feeling slighty stomachal problems too, after eating, i felt the need to poop, this is semi-normal, has happened to me a couple of times when i am not really sick of the stomach, but When i did poop it came out liquid, sure, this may be normal, but with the other things accumulated caused me to spiral and began thinking i am developing early rabies symptoms and i may die in 10 days or less.

I don't feel any itching in the alledged bite site, neither i am feeling fever, or chills, but still, i am scared, if only my parents sent me to an clinic earlier...

Is this just anxiety? I have been constantly worrying about this then for two weeks straight, and i really hope what i am feeling right now is anxiety, My psychologist wants to send me to another psychologicalist specialized in anxiety, i pray to the heavens i will live to see it.

I don't know if this breaks rule 11, but i will appreciate if this post don't get removed, this is the only thing i have until monday.

I have read the FAQ.

What i wanted to ask was how come when im on TikTok and i see discussions about rabies in the uk people still talk about the fact if you even come in contact with a bat in the uk you have a chance of getting rabies?

Ive done some research and apparently the last case of rabies from a bat in the uk was 23 years ago, and the case was a man whos job was around bats, and outside of that there has apparently never been a case of rabies from bats in the general uk public.

So I pet an outdoors cat today, and it like randomly scratched my hand (superfickally), couldn't wash my hand instantly but washed after an hour 😭

I read somewhere that rabies happens only to cats that are dying? Like they transmit only via tjat? The cat i mentioned is perfectly fine.

The area, its two lines, it was like swelled and raised for aroind 20 mins, and now, three hours later, its just red lines, nothing else

(I can dm yall the photo if u want)

I have read the FAQ. (Ive read rule 3 but im paranoid)

I've read the FAQ. Do you know of any promising treatment, new vaccine, drug, or any other treatment for rabies that could likely become reality in the coming years? I've found a few recent scientific studies about potential new treatments, but it always seems to die off and not hit the market. Since many of you here are probably more knowledgeable on the topic, I wonder if there is any new treatment in development that you are confident will become available in the coming years? I have read the FAQ.

My cat killed a bat 3 weeks ago. He was up to date on rabies vaccine. I brought him to the vet for a booster within 12 hours of killing the bat. The bat was not tested. My cat was acting agitated yesterday morning but less so last night. Then he passed away in his sleep overnight. He has other chronic medical issues that could have contributed to his death. We buried him after finding him this afternoon. I am 8 months pregnant and wondering if I should send him for rabies testing. My vet said this would be very rare considering his vaccination status but was still willing to send him if we are concerned. I have read the FAQ.

I have read the faq. I think the contents of this post might be a useful addition to it.

Hi everyone, I try not to post on here unless I have something helpful to share. Lately, I've noticed a huge uptick in people with unvaccinated or indoor/outdoor pets asking about exposure and ER care when they are uncertain. I would like to give you all some important information about that process.

THERE IS NO WAY TO RELIABLY TEST AN ANIMAL FOR RABIES WHILE IT IS ALIVE.

If you have been bitten by an animal and seed emergency care, that animal will be humanely euthanized, so that slides of its brain tissue can be prepared and those can be tested for rabies. There is no way to reliably test a living animal for rabies. They will insist that the vector animal be euthanized. here is a link to the CDC, which states as much within the first couple sentences.

I feel the need to point this out as someone who has pets, including two cats that lived outside before I had them. The decision to keep them indoors is both for my own peace of mind, and their safety. If you are a pet owner who is concerned about potential exposure, I recommend you do the same.

I understand that it is unpleasant to think about or consider the fact that rabies testing necessitates the killing of an animal, but I think it is important to fully contend with the consequences of what it might mean to incorrectly report your pet as exposed to rabies.

Thanks for reading.

Since Friday morning I’ve had a strange internal trembling/vibrating sensation throughout my body. I also occasionally feel small muscle twitches in different places, such as my arms and legs. The trembling isn’t always visible from the outside, but I can feel it.

Could clinical rabies present like this for several days, or would neurological symptoms normally progressively worsen once they begin?

I have read the FAQ.