Bats and Rabies – Another Reason to Get Rid of Bats
Rabies and Bats and FEAR, FEAR, FEAR! (Relax, calm down, and get the facts.)
The subject of Rabies may have caused more incorrect information, “old wives’ tales, inaccurate speculation, and unsubstantiated fear of bats than any other topic. Clearly, Rabies is a dangerous, even potentially fatal, viral infection of the central nervous system in mammals, including humans. However, there are three important factors to remember about spreading and contracting Rabies, especially from bats:
1. Rabies is “relatively” difficult to transmit from one mammal to another;
2. Rabies is also very preventable, both prior to infection, and after infection.
3. The vast majority of bats do not have Rabies
Do Bats Really Carry Rabies? Rarely, but YES.
Especially in relation to wanting to get rid of bats because of Rabies, the best estimate is that only one half of one percent of all bats might have rabies. Importantly, however, if a bat has contracted Rabies, this makes it more susceptible to illness and disorientation, potential increasing the likelihood of coming into contact with humans.
How is Rabies Transmitted?
The typical means of transmission of the Rabies virus is from the bite of an infected animal, which breaks the skin. Rabies is not transmitted through the air, or from direct contact of unbroken skin to unbroken skin, like Colds or Flu. People can, in rare instances, contract Rabies if infected body fluid, such as saliva from a rabid animal, gets into their eyes, nose, mouth, or other open wound. Notwithstanding what some people have come to believe, and to fear, you cannot get rabies from just seeing a bat, from simply being in a room with a bat, or from contact with bat guano, urine or blood.
Rabies is, however, a serious virus, affecting and even killing thousands of people worldwide each year, especially in areas where the spread and transmission of Rabies is not effectively controlled.
How Serious is the Problem of Rabies?
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated more than 55,000 people die each year from contracting Rabies. And, very significantly, according to the Unites States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately half of these people are under the age of Fifteen. Clearly, education for children and parents about bats and rabies could have a significant, positive impact in preventing Rabies in children.
Click this link below to download the free poster from Bat Conservation International describing, “Here’s What do Do If There’s a Bat in My School!”
Many of these people die from contact with dogs which have been infected with Rabies. This is why actively vaccinating dogs and cats in most industrialized countries is so important, and such an effective means of Rabies prevention.
Rabies is rare in humans, generally resulting from contact with rabid wildlife, including bats. In the fourteen year period between 1995 and 2009, an average of only two people per year died in the United States of Rabies as associated with bats.
Can people and bats live harmoniously in the same geographical areas?
Generally, and with proper education, the presence of bats (not living you the same spaces with humans!) does not present a public health hazard. For example, in downtown Austin, Texas, in the United Stated, approximately one and a half million Mexican Free-tailed Bats live under the Congress Avenue Bridge. These bats are an interesting and well-publicized tourist attraction for the City of Austin. Every summer evening, tens of thousands of people gather to watch huge black clouds of over a million bats fly out from under the Bridge. The bats fly out for a night of insect hunting and consumption, only to return, again, very early the next morning, for a day of rest, digestion and sleep. At the time of this writing, neither the City of Austin, nor any of the surrounding communities have ever recorded a human case of Rabies transmitted from bats.
Click this link to download the “Bats and Rabies, A Public Health Guide,” by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Bat Conservation International.
How do you PREVENT Rabies?
As described above, Rabies is very preventable, both prior to being infected, as well as after being infected. However, to prevent Rabies AFTER being infected, the immunizations MUST begin prior to the symptoms of Rabies becoming apparent. The modern Rabies vaccine is safe, effective, and much simpler than in past years, no longer requiring a lengthy and painful series of immunizations. Modern Rabies immunizations consist of four shots over a period of two weeks, usually administered in the upper arm.
What if I get get bitten, or think someone else has been bitten?
If you have reason to believe that you have been bitten by a rabid mammal, you should seek prompt medical attention. If the suspected rabid mammal can be safely captured and contained, for example, in a box or can, it should be sent to a qualified laboratory for testing to confirm the presence of the Rabies virus.
When humans have been bitten by bats, they generally know that they have been bitten. However, some bats have small, but extremely sharp teeth and bite marks might not be readily apparent. If you find a bat in the room of an unattended child, a mentally ill or intoxicated person, or otherwise impaired person, they should immediately seek medical attention.
Click this link to read the “Article on Clinical Infectious Diseases – Rabies,” by the Oxford Journals