SPOKANE, Wash. — Bats play an important role in the ecosystem, eating their body weight in insects each night — often numbering in the thousands. This benefits farms, gardens and homes by controlling pest populations. However, bats are also the most common carriers of rabies.
The Spokane Regional Health District identified a rabid bat this summer. One turned up last summer as well.
Amy Edwards was cleaning patio furniture cushions at her Eagle Ridge home when she encountered the bat that would later test positive for rabies.
“I’m wiping them down in bare feet and the next thing I know is there’s something on my foot, and I move the cushion, and there was the bat on my foot, on my bare foot,” Edwards said. “So of course I freak, and I kicked it off and I ran through the house.”
Edwards initially watched the bat from inside her house and noticed something was wrong with its behavior.
“It was just moving slowly, it was really out of sorts,” she said.
After a neighbor helped capture the bat using gloves and a small cage, Edwards contacted the health district. Officials recommended she go to the emergency room immediately.
“I don’t know if it bit me because it was so quick and I guess their teeth are so small, you don’t even realize,” Edwards said. “So she suggested I go to the ER immediately.”
When the bat tested positive for rabies, Edwards had to begin an intensive treatment protocol that required multiple rounds of shots over several weeks.
“It is several shots around the location where you might have been exposed. It was about 20 shots on my foot,” Edwards said.
The treatment continued with additional shots at three days, seven days, and 14 days after the initial exposure.
“The process was lengthy, but the survival rate is less than 1%… totally worth it,” Edwards said.
Health district advisor Sandy Phillips said Edwards handled the situation correctly and wants residents to understand the serious risks associated with rabies exposure, even though cases remain rare.
“Almost 100% fatal all the time, so few people have ever survived it,” Phillips said.
The health district has issued specific guidelines for residents:
Prevention measures include:
Never handle wild animals, especially batsTeach children to never touch or handle bats, even dead ones, and to tell an adult if they find a bat at home, in school or with a petEnsure pets are vaccinated against rabies in case they encounter a bat or other rabies-carrying animals like raccoons, skunks and foxesKeep window screens intact, especially at night, as bats can squeeze through very small openings
Phillips emphasized particular concern about bats found in bedrooms.
“If you’re sleeping and then you wake up and your door’s closed, wake up to find a bat in your room, that would be a concern because especially if you’re a really heavy sleeper, you don’t wake easily, or if you have a child, or a disabled person in your home,” Phillips said. “You might not see a bit or a scratch, tiny little teeth and little claws.”
What to do if you encounter a bat:
If it’s nighttime and the bat is behaving normally, leave it aloneIf it’s daytime and the bat is behaving unusually, do not touch it and call the health district for instructionsContact the Spokane Regional Health District’s website for additional guidance
Edwards hopes her experience serves as a warning to others about the seriousness of rabies.
“You always hear about rabies, but until you experience something like that, you don’t really understand that it’s a very, very serious disease,” she said.
The health district continues to monitor rabies cases in the region and encourages residents to report any unusual animal behavior or potential exposures immediately.
You can find more information on bats and rabies by clicking here.
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