r/rabies

I have read the FAQ. I live in the UK in a rural area where there are many bats flying about at night

I woke up in the morning with 2 small puncture holes on my hand which had bled- the marks looked identical to a bat bite. It has been extremely hot here in the UK so I slept with my large window (nearly the size of a door) wide open and my bed is just beside my windows. So if a bat had come in and bit me, I am almost certainly sure it would've simply flown back out before morning. I'm not understanding why so much rabies guidance states that if you don't find a bat in the morning then its not a bat, when they can simply fly their way back out of a large open window. Should I be concerned about this? Yes I know this is an unlikely scenario, but I'm a heavy sleeper and rabies is fatal. I'm fairly certain in the UK I won't be offered vaccines since i didn't literally see a bat- however this does not take away from the fact that a bat could've come in than left itself. It would be impossible for a bat to be trapped in a room when such a large window is open so why does the vaccination guidance rely on you seeing a bat, when it's plausible it would've flown back out after biting you.

I have read the FAQ.
I was outside in the morning half asleep on my sun launger when I felt a pinch that lasted a couple of seconds on the back of my neck. I reacted pretty fast and I looked around and didn’t see anything or hear anything so I went inside and checked the back of my neck and nothing was there. I suffer from healt anxiety so my first tought was that it was a bat that had rabies that bit me and that I didn’t feel or hear anything because I was too tired. Im in Quebec so there is infected bats here and I’m constantly thinking abt it and my parents don’t take me seriously. I called a nurse and explained the situation she said she wasn’t worried because I would have heard or felt it but what if I didn’t like what if I was just too tired and missed it .I’m so scared and I really just want to get the vaccine to get it over whit

July 3rd before 9 PM in central Florida

I have read the FAQ.

I understand that bats can’t bite or scratch while flying.

I ducked out of instinct because at least one flew so close that it caused me to do so.

I didnt feel anything on top of my head but I also panicked and wondering if by panicking it can cause you not to feel it on my head.

There were literally about a hundred bats flying everywhere because near where this incident occurred are 4 bat houses.

dad was next to me and said not to worry

buzzcut with hair grown about an inch

So, i am probably overreacting and I have read the FAQ. I also did contact the Greek CDC , but the guy literally told me to wait for him to google it and then read back to me the first result from google which i already had in front of me of course.

Exactly a week ago i was sitting outside with some friends at a village area in Greece wearing shorts. A bat of about 5cm long landed on my ankle right above my sock. I instantly thought it was a cockroach and hit it with my hand killing it on my ankle.

After probably 2 minutes (was having a conversation at the moment so didn't think much of it) i decided to look what it was since it felt different than a cockroach, more fluffier. I found the bugger in the grass dead and actually completely oblivious of the dangers i picked it up (with the tips of my fingers, didn't move, bit me or scratch me at this point) looked at it and made some wtf comments with my friends and threw it away to the bushes because we had kids around this area during the daylight.

Come three days later the story about the kid in Canada from 2024 hists my social media and i am like connecting the dots and freaking out. Two doctors i called told me to ignore it and the local CDC was clueless (literally clueless). So i go about 4 more days taking their advice which is based on that i cant see any scratches on my foot i should be ok. But its is now a week later and i am thinking that i do actually have a scratch on my hand which i didn't think to look at until now. Which could very well be from spearfishing after the fact but i literally have no idea if it happened when i squished it. I also read that their teeth are so fine that i wouldn't notice, and thinking that it was so small that even if it bit me it should show like the few mosquito marks i have at that area.

I now have a upset stomach but i may very well be from stressing about it and having a three year old adds to this stress.

I think i need a reality check probably but the local authorities not even telling me to check it out at a hospital doesn't help either.

What says the common knowledge,?

Thanks for listening 😄

So yeah,

I have had anxiety and depressive tendencies since I was 14 , I am almost 19 now. Over my life i have never handled dogs or cats , petted some of them throughout my life.

9th June two stray puppies came to my house and started wandering , wagging their tails. I put one of them out of my door by grabbing it by the waist then dropped it out of building , I remember it trying to reach my leg but I didn't let it.

Next day ,

The puppy was crying the one I put out because we were getting my father down for his post stroke paralysis checkup , probably got scared.

After that i started having thoughts of it somehow getting through my broken skin , even though I didn't had scratches there but I think of the minor skin breaks you get from pullups or dumbbells on the lower part of your fingers.

I don't see any chance of bite or that there was but I am absolutely scared about it for some reason , maybe it's because the last image of that animal in my head is it's cries even if they were unrelated.

Every throat ache , every pinch on fingers , ever soreness makes me think It's over.

I'm thinking to get a pre exposure vaccine tomorrow but talking to people is so exhausting. I still keep my trajectory forward when it comes to life because I think the goal is to not make my internal architecture worse and movement helps out keep that.

I have read the FAQ.

I have health anxiety and part of me knows I’m freaking out over probably nothing but we have stray cats around the house. They had kittens and one of them was in our driveway laying there weak. My mom took it in and it wasn’t aggressive or friendly, just weak. Couldn’t lift its head or do anything beyond mewl. We had seen it before and it was skittish. It had some sort of really bad eye infection when we found it. They were swollen and full of puss. And the poor thing was skin and bone. My mom decided to try and make it eat our cat’s wet cat food. I tried scooping a tiny piece into its mouth but it did nothing.

We ultimately decided it wasn’t going to make it through the night and put it in a box with a towel so he wasn’t laying alone outside. It passed a few hours later.

But I’m so afraid that it might have had rabies and me putting my finger near its mouth was enough to come in contact. I pick at my hangnails and my forefinger had one sorta open? I realized the possibility immediately and washed my hands and everything the cat touched several times over within minutes. I’m not sure if the cat died because the eye infection went all over its body or if it was something else for sure. I took a benzo about it last night because I can’t go to my mom and ask to be taken to the doctor for a rabies shot over that kitten because I will be treated like I’m crazy and overreacting. I also don’t have insurance and we’re sadly broke.

The day after was fine I ate burgers for the 4th of July. But I also got a swollen lymph node in my arm. Not quite my armpit but just past that. And it happens to be the same hand and my brain thinks coincidences can’t exist. Mind you I have lymph nodes swell pretty often because I’m pretty sure I have MCAS which is just overproduction of histamine. Which can cause that and I was outside. But I’m just terrified and also feel stupid.

I have read the FAQ. The wound thing about bleeding I’m not sure about because it was kinda earlier that day.

Reposting as I don’t think I put in the correct information to get the post approved originally. I have read the FAQ.

really hoping someone could help out. I’m in a panic and can’t stop obsessing and worrying myself sick

A few weeks ago I found my dog with a very freshly killed groundhog. At least I think it was a groundhog it was hard to tell because it was completely ripped apart with all its organs exposed it looked very fresh and wet I think my dog may have actually killed it I’m not sure . She was outside and when I looked out the window I saw her with her entire face in something ran outside and immediately grabbed her away from it .I have no idea how long she was out there with it so I dont if she rolled in it, killed it,.. anyways I ran up to her in a panic and grabbed her collar and dragged her in the house and inspected her whole body ran my hands over her face her paw her ears her whole body. Then got on the phone(without washing hands) with the vet to see if I should bring her in while on the phone with the vet the dog ran all over the whole house rubbed her body on the couch the floors our beds after I got off the phone i threw her in the shower I didn’t scrub her down because I was afraid to touch her anymore so I just gave her a quick spray and then brought her into the vent . I was in such a panic after all of this I never even washed my hands I had cuts on my hands. I probably put my hands in my mouth or my eyes. I understand that dogs get into stuff outside of time and come in the house I’m scared about this is it was literally immediately(seconds) after she killed this animal and was probably covered in saliva, brain fluid etc.
I have extreme contamination OCD so my hands are raw with cuts from washing so much I am really scared that I had exposure through this raw bleeding skin. I also got my face micro needle the day before the incident which is basically Kriaten small abrasions over the entire surface of your face I’m panicking that I got the fluid in these cuts also

Have I been exposed? What about my house especially in those seconds minutes or hours right after when she was literally rolling around with fresh fluid on her. What about the yard? I was so panicked that day and so scared that I left the dead animal there a week later I went outside to try to find it and I couldn’t but now I’m a little afraid to let my kids play in the yard. My oldest daughter was outside the other day doing cartwheels throughout the grass I panicked and made her come in the house.. my family thinks I’m crazy but I can’t stop the panic. Every time I put my dog’s harness that goes over her nose I panic that I’m touching something because it was used on her to get her away from the animal and then to the vet that day.

Please help I have little kids and I am literally spiraling

⁠Your location (country): USA
• ⁠Date of possible exposure: June 9 2926
• ⁠Type of exposure (bite/scratch/other): Potential contact with fluid
• ⁠Species of animal: groundhog?
• ⁠Animal's vaccination status:
• ⁠Your vaccination status and date of last vaccine, if applicable.: None
• ⁠“I read the FAQ” or “I will not follow the sub rules:” I read the FAQ
• ⁠What is the first word of the ANSWER to FAQ #2? No

I have read the FAQ.

We have had three bats get into our house in the past 6 months. One in winter, one three weeks ago, and one yesterday.

We have someone coming to do exclusion work soon but it took some time to get that arranged.

We have tried our best to be as diligent as possible each of the three times. All three bats have been picked up by the department of natural resources and sent to the lab for testing. The first two bats tested negative and the third is being tested now.

We have a cat and he is up to date on vaccines and also received his booster after being exposed.

We were advised by a doctor in the ER, a nurse on a medical helpline, and the wildlife worker who picked up the bat that we did not have "exposures" because nobody woke up with a bat in the room, no one touched the bats or was bitten/scratched, there are no kids in the house, and no one has any bite marks or wounds.

The first two bats were found on the third floor, where there are no bedrooms. Both were found in the late evening. The third bat, found yesterday, was by the front door, right next to a hole in the wall/wallpaper, which looked like it had been chewed or clawed at.

The first time this happened the protocol felt sufficient. The second time, I was nervous but accepting. Now that it has happened a third time, my anxiety is really taking over, because we keep having these close calls but are not recommended for the vaccines.

A family friend (a doctor) contacted the infectious diseases expert in our area and told us that he said we have not been exposed, but all over Reddit I see people saying otherwise.

tl;dr three separate instances and professionals aren't recommending vaccination for the humans

i have read the faq.

do i need to get vaccinated for this?

about 10 days ago, i was walking in some nature trail in the morning also felt something fall on my head, about the force of an eraser dropping on it. instantly went to brush it off but didnt feel anything, didn't notice pain, and someone behind me said they didnt see anything fall on me, but im still very paranoid that it may be possible rabies exposure through a bat.

i received the full rabies vaccine series after a cat scratch about 38 days ago, with my final of the 4 doses being 17 days ago. im here to ask if im at risk and need to go get booster shots.

I have read the FAQ.

the dog is always inside the home with a few cats.

the dog just dashed at him while he was playing with toys and licked his lips, and when asked, the dog apparently got his tongue inside as he was talking when it happened. the dog has no rabies symptoms, and that's why im scared. it's not our dog, but my uncle's

he's three

I have read the FAQ. I know you can't get it through indirect contact, I was wondering if that's possible or not to get rabies through and object that a rabid animal spit was on with saltwater on it.

So there I was, walking around Kuta after breakfast returning to my hotel when out of nowhere I feel a jaw clamp on the back of my leg.

Admittedly, I wasn't cognizant of my surrounding and was distracted with my phone looking where to walk next. However, I have no idea where this dog came from or what I did to piss him/her off as I was just walking.

The bite was not deep, only one of the fangs broke my skin and I was slightly bleeding, not dripping. After the attack the dog walked off and I was surprised/shocked and confused about what just happened. I didn't stick around further to investigate the dog which I should have. Some older woman watched the whole thing and was laughing at it or me, WTF?

Immediately walked to the nearest hospital about 15-20 minutes. I arrived and explained what happened. They had me clean the wound with their soap, no idea what brand etc. I used some sketchy hose outside of their ER area attached to a faucet. Am I really washing this off outside here with whatever soap this is? After washing it for 10 minutes I go back in and they proceed to give me two rabies shots in my arm and then clean the wound.

I'm quite nervous now being a hypochondriac, because I also need a followup shot next week when I return home. Some things I am wondering, did I get the correct vaccine? The total for this was about 3.5mil idr. I keep seeing online people charged more than that like hundreds or thousands. I was given Verorab .5ml injection in both arms. Reading online says it is supposedly 4 shots to start, so why I only got 2?

Should I take anything else or simply keep hydrated? I know I shouldn't be asking Reddit of all places for medical advice, but not much I can do as it is night in my country and I wouldn't be able to reach my dr until later. I have read the FAQ.

I was bit (or scratched) by an otherwise friendly stray dog after I accidentally stepped on its paw while walking backwards. This happened in an area where rabies is pretty common amongst strays.

Wasn’t so worried at the time in the absence of visibly broken skin or bleeding but I’ve since noticed some redness in the area so there’s a slight chance of minor scrapes or cuts invisible to the eye

I’m keen to get vaccinated despite the low risk of exposure just bc no risk seems worth it with this disease. Or am I overreacting?

Happened approximately 11 hours ago.

I have read the FAQ.

I was walking in Veracruz, Mexico, around 7:00 PM, completely focused looking down because I was checking something on my hand. Suddenly, I lifted my gaze, took a few more steps, and felt a very specific sensation: like a drop of water or a “little bubble” on the inside of my lip.

I’m scared because I didn’t feel any impact or hit from anything falling from above. My biggest fear is that a drop really did fall from a mango tree and that, because I was so distracted, my senses simply didn’t register it.

What worries me the most is that this drop could have been fresh saliva from a sick animal (like a bat) and that the rabies virus was still active. I had a throat infection (pharyngitis, treated with Gramaxin) and my mind connected everything: I fear that this drop mixed with my saliva, and that by moving my tongue or swallowing normally, it went straight to the inflamed tissues in my throat.

And now every day the possibility of developing rabies is destroying me, because no one can assure me that I will be healthy and alive. The worry is killing me. And yes I have read the faq. (I accept comments in English and Spanish)

I have read the FAQ. I'm in Ontario Canada.

About 2 weeks ago I woke up with a small wound on my stomach. 2 triangular shaped cuts, about 1-2mm apart. Really small but bled a bit. Didn't think too much of it at the time but that recent news about the rabies case in Canada got my anxiety going. Decided to check our attic and lo and behold, we have evidence of bats up there (some guano). Basically sent me into a full panic. It's a small house, so no openings between the attic and the inside of our house. EXCEPT FOR in the basement room where I sleep, where there is a large opening (like 3 feet by 2 feet) in the ceiling that goes into the space between the ground floor and first floor (attic is above the second floor).

I'm kinda scared at this point, that a bat could have gone into the basement through the spaces between the walls, bit me and then died somewhere or went back into the wall space. The pest guy said sometimes bats can move around inside your walls and pop out unfinished basements. I only ever saw a bat in our living space once, and that was like 12 years ago after coming back from a vacation. If I sound insane please let me know, but my anxiety is really getting the best of me now. Would you guys advise PEP shots in this scenario?? Is it too late?

i have read the faq. like a month ago I found two marks on my arm which I GUESS you could say looked like a bite, especially when it healed I think. but I have never seen a bat, or been outdoors, especially at night, not been camping or anything. and there literally aren't bats in our area, like if there are, I have never seen them, and I have lived here my entire life.

i woke up one time a month ago because i was trying to sleep and before i did i got startled awake because i felt something had tapped me. i went back to sleep after a while bcause i was like, i think i accidently hit myself or the fringes of my blankets probably touched me. the idea that it could be a bat popped up in my head for a second, but I think it could be because I had read smth similar happening around that time, but then I laid in bed for a minute and kind of came to rhe conclusion it was nothing and went to sleep.

and I keep telling myself what if I woke up and saw a bat and forgot about it or ignored it or just didnt see it 😭 also we didn't see a bat in our house this whole time, or ever.

I went to the ER a couple of nights ago, they said you're probably fine. called our regions public health people, spoke to an inspector i think for public health, and she said I am very low risk, and that it was likely not a bat, and that i dont need to get the vaccine. also, I've heard that the vaccine is not amazing to get, so if you dont need it, you shouldn't get it just for peace of mind or whatever.

DESPITE ALLL OF THIS i keep having this loop of worry in the back of my head, a month later. so. i dont know what to do. any advice? I have been really worried sick the past few days.

I have read the FAQ.

exposure date: May 19th

Location: South Carolina

Date of first PEP/shots July 2nd

Around 11 pm walking home, a bat flew directly into me and onto my upper arm, I didn't think much of it at the time, because, truth be told, I am a stupid person and didn't really understand the mortal danger I was and now am in. It was directly on my skin, and very much for all I know, bit me. Remembering it it looked like it did.

around Thursday After realizing my horrible mistake, I went into the ER to tell them. They were mortified. quickly rushed me into a room, and gave me day zero PEP with HRIG included into the spot of where I got bit supposedly.

its been two days now, or almost, since its 2 am as I write this. I've felt whoozy or off or worse in the past day, but in the past 2 hours or so my throat feels off and I just feel out of it. drinking water is hard, but like, I can still drink it fully just in gulps or so, I can drink water.

I'm due for more shots on Sunday and honestly, I'm horrified at the thought of PEP failure. That I was in the end too late and, that, I'm going to die of rabies now. I know I can have issues with health anxiety, but I am very very scared of the prospect of me being too late. I did not realize this subreddit even existed until now. I should be in the clear, right? I am very worried. I'm trying to drink water even if I don't want to or don't need to. Thank you.

last night in my family and I were walking back from seeing fireworks around 10:15 pm. i live in Midwest USA. while walking back to the car something brushed up against the back of my head. didn’t feel like a June bug collision. those are hard when they hit. this was like something soft grazed my head. I shave my head and have about a weeks worth of hair growth currently so you can see my skin pretty good. my wife looked it over and said she didn’t see any scraps or cuts or anything. I am worried it was bat. not sure if you could tell the difference between a bat or large bug flying into since bats are very light. I don’t know if I should go to ER and discuss getting PEP or not. side note is since the incident I have had a small little stinging sensation on that part of my skin. again, my wife looked at it and also took a picture of the spot so I could look at it and I don’t see anything that stands out to me. I have some small little bumps here and there but they are on multiple spots of my head not just that spot.

not sure if I am Overreacting or not. The sensation was like someone took a paw of a stuffed animal paw or tail and rubbed the back of my head with the tip of it. not large by any means but wasn’t a hard June bug . Maybe a moth I don’t know . trying to be rational but I don’t like how the back of my head, the skin kinda has a burning sensation. I just don’t see a visible mark in the area.

I have read the FAQ.

I have read the FAQ. I have had a hole in my bedroom window screen large enough for a bat to get through that I have forgotten to patch up for some time now. Honestly I have always just considered the possibility bugs getting in (and they do of course from time to time) until I was reminded about bats and rabies by an article I saw online recently. I used to have anxiety about rabies like I am sure we all do. This has somewhat reactivated that anxiety. I have slept with that window open for a good amount of nights now. I actually think the hole has been there for possibly a few years now and the window is usually open when I sleep during the warmer months. I am in New Haven county Connecticut.

Now, I know the likelihood of a bat WITH rabies coming in AND biting me or scratching me is quite low, but I really could use some advice or something to soothe my mind right now. I have a feeling doctors wouldn't give me a PEP unless I lied to them and told them I found one in my room. Even then, if there is no mark or wound, would they still give it to me? And does a PEP HAVE to be injected into the site of the wound to be effective anyway?

I also dread the fact that rabies has an incubation period and that period could theoretically, though only in extremely rare cases, be up to 6 years, so I have read. I don't want to carry this around with me for potentially that long. With the way my mind works, though, it certainly will.

I have read the FAQ. Recently (last week) I had this weird thought. “What if you get rabies and you would never know. Then you would never wake up again.” I know, a “scary” thought. I’ve talked to my parents and family members, but it never seems to help sadly. Now I don’t see bats on a daily basis or seen one in my room, but I keep checking my body, every pain or twitch I feel scares me, and I fear that I might get bit in my sleep. Doesnt help that the internet is useless most of the time. Anxiety is so annoying…