What should you know about bat bite rabies?

Bat teeth can leave tiny marks, and a bite may not be obvious after waking or finding a bat indoors. Rabies is an infection that can affect the nervous system after infected saliva enters broken skin or the eyes, mouth, or nose. A person cannot confirm the risk by looking at the wound or judging a bat's behaviour.

Exposure does not mean a person has rabies. It does mean a clinician should assess what happened, whether the skin was broken, and whether preventive treatment is appropriate before symptoms develop.

Wash any bite, scratch, or potentially contaminated skin with running water and soap as soon as possible. Do not scrub deeply, seal the wound, or handle the bat with bare hands. If safe, keep people and pets away from the animal and contact local animal or public-health services for guidance; never attempt to catch it yourself.

Seek urgent medical advice even when there is no visible mark, especially if you were asleep, a child was unattended, or saliva may have touched the eyes, mouth, or an open wound. Ask about [Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis](/treatments/acute-and-urgent-care/rabies-post-exposure-prophylaxis/) and whether [Rabies Vaccination](/treatments/preventive-care-and-vaccination/rabies-vaccination/) is relevant.

Treat a known or possible bat bite, scratch, or saliva contact as an urgent same-day medical concern. Go to emergency care if the wound is severe, bleeding will not stop, the eye was exposed, or you develop confusion, trouble swallowing, unusual sensitivity to air or water, or weakness. Do not wait for symptoms before seeking advice.

Ask whether the exposure requires post-exposure treatment, whether the wound needs tetanus or other care, and what details about the bat or contact should be reported. Tell the clinician when and where contact occurred, whether you were asleep, and whether the skin or mucous membranes may have been exposed.