Rabies is a fatal disease transmitted from one animal to another by biting. World wide, rabies kills about 30,000 people each year, 99% of the cases transmitted by dogs. Rabies in bats is not common. About 5% of bats submitted to state laboratories test positive. This does not mean that 5% of all bats are rabid, because sick individuals are more likely to be caught and turned in than are healthy bats. Scientific surveys of wild bats typically report a positive rate of less than 0.5% for most North American bat species. Even where a rabid bat had been found, examinations of the entire colony usually show no other rabid individuals.

Interestingly, a recent study (2007) found that when the rabies virus was introduced into a bat colony a immune response is triggered. When blood analyses were done on these bats the results suggested that bats are able to produce antibodies to the virus that can last up to twelve months. Other findings of the study suggest bats are only able to infect other animals for five days. The results of this study are extremely important, as they show the risk of rabies transmission from bats is very low.

Read the complete article: Bats and Rabies: The Dynamics of Infection

It is important to know that picking up a bat with bare hands is the most common way in which people are bitten. Animals will bite in self-defense, and bats are not an exception. Avoid contact with all wild animals by keeping a safe distance. If bitten by any wild mammal or stray dog or cat, contact a local public safety, animal control office, or county health department to have the animal sent for testing. If unsure whether a bite occurred, have the bat tested anyway to be sure. For more information on rabies and wildlife and when to consider post-exposure treatment, visit the Centers for Disease Control website.

Over the last 50 years, only about 40 people in the United States have died from rabies contracted from a wild bat, even though hundreds of millions of bats live in this country and millions of these animals roost in buildings frequented by humans. Although it is rare, there are several ways to reduce the chance of coming in contact with an infected wild bat. It is recommended that all dogs and cats (indoor and outdoor) be vaccinated against rabies, wild bats be humanely evicted from living quarters, and alternative housing be provided.

As the human population continues to grow, human-wildlife altercations will also increase. Bats prefer to live in dead trees during the summer. Without natural habitat, bats will take up residence in human-made buildings. Evicting bats from unwanted living areas can be done humanely by providing a one-way door that allows bats to exit but not return. Mounting a bat house on a pole is recommended to provide a suitable alternative to our homes. Unless alternative housing is available, bats will continue to adapt to living in our homes. This greatly increases the chance of human-bat contact. It is to the benefit of the health of the community to place up bat houses to provide alternatives.

In addition, bats are the primary predators of night-flying insects. One bat can consume several thousand insects each night, including moths, beetles, gnats, mosquitoes, and flies. Insect-eating bats reduce pests and thus our use of pesticides. That means our air and water stays cleaner, thereby protecting all wildlife. Pesticides make our food cost more and are unhealthy for humans. With fewer bats, insect populations will continue to grow, increasing our dependence on pesticides, in turn driving up the cost of food production

Like all mammals, bats can contract rabies; a deadly viral disease of the central nervous system. In almost all cases, the virus is passed on through the bite of an infected animal. It can also be transmitted if a rabid mammal’s saliva enters an open wound or comes in contact with mucous membrane. Rabies incubation in humans is anywhere from 10 days to several years.

The incidence of bats and rabies is very low, usually only about one half of one percent of bats tested, test positive for the virus. If you take into consideration that people have a much higher chance of getting attacked by a dog, falling down a flight of stairs, or being struck by lightning and dying than dying of a bat bite you can see that rabies is rare. Chances are even better in winning your state lottery, than getting bitten by a bat with rabies. Here are a few noticeable diseases reported in 1995 in the United States: Chlamydia, 477,638; Gonorrhea, 392,848; AIDS, 71,547; Hepatitis, 41,000; Lymes Disease, 11,700; Syphilis, 68,953; Salmonellosis, 45,970; Whopping Cough, 5,137; E. Coli, 2,139; Malaria, 1,419; Mumps, Measles, 309; Botulism, 97; Toxic Shock Syndrome, 191; Tetanus, 41; Trichinoses, 29; Plague, 9; Rabies, 5; Poliomyelitis, 2.

In 1995 over 1,000 people died of Malaria, a virus transmitted by mosquitoes, the very things that bats eat and therefore, protect us from. Bats are very advantageous in this way, one bat can eat roughly 600-1,000 mosquitoes and other insect pests each HOUR in our backyard.

With the facts about bats stated as well as their benefits, it is true that wild animals can be potentially dangerous if handled. If a person finds a bat the best thing to do is just leave it alone. Although bats do not attack people they will bite if touched.

Most often when people have been bitten by bats it is because they have either consciously or unconsciously touched the bat. The easiest thing to keep in mind is to never touch any wild animal. All wild animals will bite if they feel threatened. If you have been bitten by an animal, try to capture the animal to have it tested for rabies by your local health department. The animal, bats included, should be tested that very day, insist on it! If you can not catch the animal go to the emergency and ask for rabies post exposure shots, again insist on it. This is very important, you do not want to wait for more than 2 days, especially if the bite was close to the head.

Bats are one of the most misunderstood animals in the world. One such misconception about bats is that they are all rabid. Bats can contract rabies, but they also suffer the symptoms of the disease and eventually die from it. Bats are not unaffected carriers of rabies. So if all bats had rabies, there would be no bats in the world. When bat specimens are sent into state laboratories for testing, the number of bats with rabies is around 5-10%. This figure is highly inflated because only those bats that are suspected of having rabies are brought in to be tested. Past research indicates that the actual incidence of rabies in bat populations is less than 0.5% in most areas.

It is also often believed that if a rabid animal contracts the rabies virus, that it will attack you. The disease can manifest in two ways. The animal can be come paralyzed, or it can become aggressive. Bats will usually exhibit the paralytic form of rabies, which immobilizes the animal. Although they are not usually aggressive, bats will bite if they are threatened. Also, outbreaks of rabies in bats have never been reported, unlike the skunk, raccoon, and fox.

Chances of coming in contact with a rabid bat is very rare. In fact, chances are better to die from getting struck by lightning, a plane crash, falling down a flight of stairs, or being killed by your spouse. Actually, you have a higher chance of winning your state lottery that being bitten by a bat with rabies. Even though coming in contact with a rabid animal may be uncommon, it is wise to know what to do if you are in that situation.