By Luisa Loi / Whidbey News-Times
A wildlife rehabilitator was bitten by a rabid bat last week on North Whidbey, marking the fourth case of reported bat rabies in the state this year.
Sarah Schmidt, a bat rehabilitator at Happy Valley Bats, was already vaccinated against rabies and is receiving two post-exposure shots and assures the rabies vaccine is 100% effective when taken in time.
On Aug. 2, Schmidt picked up a big brown bat from a Whidbey home after a resident reported the critter on their neighbor’s lawn. The bat was unable to fly, and the neighbors carefully placed it in a box without touching it.
When handled for examination, the bat went from “lethargic” to upset. Rabid bats, she said, don’t attack unless they are approached or touched. The rehabilitator described the bat as defensive and “bitey,” sickly and underweight. It was unable to swallow mealworms or water. All of these symptoms suggested the bat was infected with rabies, she said.
During an examination, the bat bit Schmidt’s finger through the glove. It was a slight puncture, she said, but it could still lead to an infection. The bat held on for an unusually long moment, which she said was another possible sign of the disease.
The next day, the bat died from the disease and was taken to Island County Public Health, where it tested positive for rabies, according to the county.
Schmidt said the discovery is no reason to panic.
According to information from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, less than 1% and up to 4% of the bats in a colony will have rabies, and only about 6% of the bats submitted for testing end up having the disease in the U.S.
According to the state Department of Health, rabid attacks are rare, and there have only been two bats that have tested positive for rabies in Island County in recent years, one in 2020 and one in 2014.
As long as there is no physical contact with the bat, people are usually fine, Schmidt said. To transmit the disease, there needs to be a transfer of bodily fluids, which can happen through a bite or if the bat’s saliva enters an open wound. Being in the same room and breathing the same air as a rabid bat isn’t enough to get infected, she said.
Still, if a person has been exposed to a potentially rabid bat (for example, while sleeping) and can’t say with confidence that they haven’t been bit, it’s always best to get the post-exposure shots, Schmidt said. Babies, who can’t talk, also wouldn’t be able to say they were bit, she said.
In order to test a bat for rabies, it needs to be dead with the head intact so that its brain can be examined, Schmidt said. If a bat isn’t caught after exposure, there is no way to determine whether it had rabies, therefore it’s best to get the vaccine to prevent an infection, she said.
The state Department of Health recommends not touching or handling bats and other wild animals, even when they are dead. It also advises residents to bat-proof their homes and to protect themselves and their animals with rabies vaccines. Ensuring pets are up to date with their vaccines also ensures the safety of the owners as well.
According to the CDC, symptoms can appear after weeks or months from exposure, depending on the distance between the point of exposure and the brain, the severity of the exposure, the age of the patient and whether the patient has ever been vaccinated against rabies.
Severe symptoms can include anxiety, insomnia, confusion, agitation, delirium, hallucinations, a fear of water, hypersalivation and seizures, according to the CDC. By the time symptoms show up, death is almost certain. Less than 20 people have been recorded to survive clinical rabies, the agency says.
People should call Island County Public Health at 360-679-7350 and their medical provider if they find a bat in their living space or if they believe they, a family member or a pet may have been touched, scratched or bitten by a bat. In case of contact with a bat, Public Health also recommends washing the area with soap and water.
This story originally appeared in the Whidbey News-Times, a sibling publication to The Herald.
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