ARRGH!

[pegkerr]

The bat that got into our house night before last is not going to be a repeat offender because despite Rob's care, it seemed to have died of shock; it was still sitting in the juice container on top of the garbage can yesterday.

However . . .

I went to bed last night at 10:15--and woke up at 10:37 because a bat was flying over my head.

THESE BATS ARE TOTALLY UNAUTHORIZED!!!

Rob heard the screams more quickly this time and got rid of this one, too (fortunately, Delia did not wake for all the excitement). He walked it about a block and a half away as it swore at him, and he told it to live long and catch lots of mosquitoes but to NOT COME BACK.

Comments

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

According to the Pro-MED mailing list archives, there have been 38 cases of human rabies in the US that were contracted in the US (an additional 9 were acquired outside the US). Almost all of these cases were bat-strain (there was one raccoon-strain case in Virginia in 2003, and there may have been others I haven't read about). 8 cases occurred in 2004, which is the highest number of cases in the US since 1956. (This number was unfortunately increased by a group of patients who developed rabies after receiving organ transplants.)

I know that several of the case studies I've read have included statements like the following:

"The patient's family reported that he had killed a bat in his house on 10
March [2002], although he had denied having any direct contact."

(Interestingly, it's usually men who contract rabies by animal exposure in the US, and they almost always deny having any animal contact or mysterious wounds.)

The thing about getting prophylaxis is that it vaccinates you -- you'd have to find out how long the vaccine is good for, but you wouldn't have to worry about it again any time soon (certainly, IIRC, there was a 40- or 50-something liver transplant patient in Germany earlier this year who was grateful to have received rabies prophylaxis as a child, because it appears to have saved his/her life when all the other transplant receipients died). So if any more bats were to find their way into your house, all you'd have to worry about would be getting the bats out.

Certainly, the first step is getting the dead bat tested. If it's positive, you and Rob should certainly have the shots, and the Health Dept might suggest the same for the girls.

[/infectious disease geek]

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Ack. 38 cases since 1990.

[callunav.livejournal.com]

HC, you're good.

I would never have even thought about this if I had a bat in the house--which I certainly hope I never do, for my sake and the bat's. Now I'll know to just go and get the vaccination. I'm a fan of preventative medicine and not having to /wonder/.