Gambian Epauletted Fruit Bat - Health Risks

Health Risks

A 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. (Bats and Rabies)

It is also often believed that if a rabid animal contracts the rabies virus, that it will attack you; that is not always the case. 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(Bat Conservation).

Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the central nervous system. In almost all cases, the virus is passed on through the bite, contact with infected saliva, nervous tissues, open wounds or the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth of an infected animal. Like all other animals, if bats get infected with this disease, they will die. (Bat conservation)

If humans come in contact with rabies, it is far worse. After the infection has happened, symptoms can developed about 10 days to seven months.

Some warning signs that occur include pain, burning and numbness at the place of infection. Also people with the disease nag about not being able to sleep, headaches, irritability, difficulty swallowing and throat spasms. They fear of swallowing because it causes foaming at the mouth. (Bat Conservation)

When the systems appear, death follows 2–12 days after. If any bat bites a person they should get tested right away for rabies and treatment should be immediately. Most marks or bites from bats cannot be detected. Most punctures are a millimeter or less in diameter. Post-exposures treatment should be handled and get a shot. If a human is exposed to rabies, one should get initial IM injection of Human Rabies immune Globulin, otherwise known as HRIG. (Bats and Rabies)