Bats And Rabies: Everything You Need To Know

When we think of bats, we often think of dark caves or Halloween decorations, or even diseases and viruses. Bats have long had a bad reputation, and people have misunderstood or even feared them because they can transmit rabies. So what is the truth? Are bats dangerous carriers of rabies, or have we misjudged them? In this article, we will take you through the facts about bats and rabies.

What Is Rabies, Anyway?

Rabies has always been fatal to animals or humans. Once symptoms appear, there is almost no cure and the mortality rate is close to 100%. This is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system. It is transmitted by animals that carry the virus, and there is a risk of exposure if you are bitten or scratched by an unvaccinated wild animal. The virus is present in the saliva of infected animals and can also be transmitted if the saliva comes into contact with open wounds or mucous membranes. Currently, the only effective way to prevent rabies is to vaccinate. Rabies vaccination and rabies immunoglobulin are currently the most effective way to save lives. Although dogs are the most common spreader of rabies worldwide, almost all dog owners in the United States vaccinate their dogs regularly, so there are fewer cases of dog transmission. Instead, bats have become the focus of prevention in North America and parts of Europe. But does this mean that you should scream and run away every time you see a bat flying by? This is not the case.

Bats Carrying Rabies Is an Exaggerated Risk

Can bats carry rabies ? The answer is yes. But the risk is exaggerated by people who don't know the facts. In fact, only a very small percentage of bats (usually less than 1%) are actually infected with the virus. That's right, less than 1%! The vast majority of bats are completely harmless and play a vital role in the global ecosystem. Some people judge whether a bat has rabies by observing it, although bats infected with rabies have a reduced ability to fly and forage for food, but this cannot be used as the only basis for judgment. Most bats can take off from the ground, but a few have difficulty taking off, and people often mistake this behavior for illness or rabies. However, bats infected with rabies are unlikely to survive for long.

How do Bats Spread Rabies?

Very simple, bats transmit rabies through bites, and airborne transmission is a rumor. You can't get infected just by being near a bat, rabies needs a wound as an entry point, such as a scratch or bite. But it should be noted that many people don't even realize that they have been bitten by a bat because their teeth are very small, and the wounds they cause are also very small and there is no obvious pain. If you have been in contact with a bat and it has caused you harm, you must take it seriously regardless of the size of the wound.

Signs of a Rabid Bat

Although it is not always correct to judge whether a bat is carrying rabies by some signs, you must be careful when you encounter a bat with the following symptoms.
If it's active during the day (bats are nocturnal), it's on the ground or in an unusual location, it can't fly normally, it seems aggressive or sluggish. If you notice a bat behaving strangely, the best thing to do is to leave it alone and call your local wildlife expert.

You don't usually see a rabid bat playing with its colony or flying through the sky catching insects.

What Should I do If I Encounter or am Bitten by a Bat?

If you are sure you have been bitten or scratched by a bat:

Wash the wound vigorously with soap and water for at least 5 minutes . Some doctors recommend gently squeezing out the blood around the wound to help flush the virus out of the body.

See a doctor immediately and take rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) measures as soon as possible, the lower the chance of infection. Although rabies has a mortality rate of 99.9%, it is 100% preventable in humans through wound care and vaccination.
It would be even better if you can safely control the bat so that health care providers can test it for rabies.

In case of uncertainty:

also needed for people who have been or may have been exposed to rabies . Such uncertain situations include finding a bat in a room where someone is sleeping, with small children, or an incapacitated person, who may not be aware that they have been bitten or had direct contact with a bat.

Extremely Rare Rabies Survivor

In 2004 , in Wisconsin, a 15-year-old girl named Jeanna Giese was bitten by a bat and did not receive a rabies vaccine. A month later, she began to experience symptoms: fatigue, fever, numbness in her hands, and then quickly developed neurological symptoms (such as dysphagia and hallucinations), which are typical of rabies attacks. But fortunately, a treatment method later known as the Milwaukee Protocol allowed her to miraculously recover. This is definitely a miracle in medical history and the first real case of a human being successfully surviving without a rabies vaccine. But this is just a miracle. Don't rely on the "survival miracle" because it is indeed an extremely low probability event.

Why Bats Are Still Awesome

Okay, now that we've discussed the potential risks of bats, it's time to give them the credit they deserve. Despite their fearsome reputation, bats are serious ecological superheroes. Here's why:

• At night, a bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes per hour.
• Some species of bats pollinate important crops such as bananas, mangoes and agave.
• And fruit bats help disperse seeds and maintain forest health.
• They reduce the need for pesticides and greatly reduce chemical pollution.

In fact, bats are vital to the ecology of the Earth . Misunderstanding and fear of bats due to rabies will only harm conservation efforts and ultimately the health of our ecosystems. Bat populations are currently declining rapidly due to misunderstanding, disease, and habitat destruction.

Final Thoughts

Bats are not rabies-carrying monsters, and while they can carry rabies, the actual risk is very low. If you use some common sense and avoid direct contact with it, the risk of infection is almost non-existent. We should respect wildlife and protect ourselves when necessary, but we should also protect bats. Bats' bad reputation is mostly fictitious, and the world would be a much worse place without them.