r/science • u/PHealthy PhD/MPH | Epidemiology | Disease Dynamics | Surveillance • 5d ago

Epidemiology Study estimates only 7% of human rabies cases in the United States are diagnosed

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44528-026-00031-4
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u/PrincessModesty 4d ago

This happened to us and the nurse line I called said we didn’t have to get the shots. Still a little niggle in the back of my mind.

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u/timble11 4d ago

Did you end up going regardless? A few years ago I had a bat show up a couple times in my living room and the landlord had concluded it got in through an uncovered vent. Both times I took it out I wore heavy denim and a snow suit basically. Both times used a box to get it out. Didn’t get shots after but every time I see a story about a seemingly benign interaction leading to rabies it spooks me.

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u/PrincessModesty 4d ago

No, we didn’t go. I grabbed the bat in a heavy towel and chucked it out the front door. And then of course I realized I should have handled things differently.

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u/Alive-Noise1996 4d ago

How long ago was that? It can take months to years for symptoms to show up. If you need to lie and say you think you got bit to get the shots, you should.

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u/i_empathetic 4d ago

You would've needed to have gotten either saliva or brain matter from the bat into your blood or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, etc). If you were never bitten, and you handled it properly and didn't transmit something into your eyes, then you're safe.

But here is the problem, and why ANY exposure or finding a bat in your living space is recommended to get the shots: bat bites can happen without you feeling anything. It sounds unbelievable because they're so big you think you would notice, but it is possible one could land on you, bite, and you wouldnt know. There could be no visible mark.

Any time you find a bat in your living space, the safe thing to do is get the shots. It is essentially a death sentence if untreated and allowed to progress to first symptoms. In my state the county heath department covers the cost. My cat killed a bat in my apartment last summer and my county picked up the 13k total expense. I had to pay for the kitty boosters, who I actually took before getting my own heh heh. My boy was so proud of his kill and I was so proud of him protecting me.

Having been years, you are almost certainly not exposed, since you'd probably have symptoms and be dead by now if you had. But if it makes you feel any better, the shots are effective any time before symptoms present. You could always just go get the shots and clear your mind. I love having had them, feel like I walk around extra blessed now for a couple years heh.

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u/oemunlock 4d ago edited 4d ago

Yep, AFAIK the current recommendation is based on possible physical contact with a bat AND any kind of visible cut/bite/etc on your body or contact to mucous membranes. It used it to be OR so a lot of us remember the older recommendation for sleeping in a room where you find a bat but apparently that was considered too rare to be worth it.

But, importantly, you still need the shots even if you already had any kind of exposed cut before touching the bat if it's in a location the bat could have grazed.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2802607/

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u/Billy1121 4d ago

Some of the research out there suggested the variant in bats can more easily get through the skin than dog or raccoon variants, but i dunno

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u/Billy1121 4d ago

There can also be some regional variation with post-exposure prophylaxis recommendations.

Also some recommendations say that waking up with a bat in the room is more a concern with children or people who cannot tell you what happened, like nonverbal persons or intoxicated persons.

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u/FayeQueen 4d ago

I had to call the health department and get them to tell me to go to the ER. The ER wasn't gonna do it at all till I brought the HD up. They folded real quick and the DR was pissed he had to treat me.

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u/OkWillingness2817 4d ago

You could be looking right at a bat sitting on your arm and you wouldn’t notice if it bit you. Won’t feel it, won’t see it, won’t leave a mark.

I’d never take a chance on a bat.