Dr. Krista Edelman, a gastroenterologist from Richmond, Virginia, was having a strange dream about a small mouse trying to get into her mouth, when she suddenly awakened to something even more frightening. She was met with the horrifying realization that there was, in fact, a bat burrowing between her lips. Her husband grabbed a t-ball bat to take care of it, but from her training Krista knew that wasn’t the right move. “I knew we were supposed to try to catch the bat so it could be tested to see if there was rabies in its brain,” she said. There are more than 40 bat species across the U.S., and healthy bats avoid humans if it all possible. Summertime is when homeowners most often find bats in their homes. The mammals often roost in the attic, and if it gets too hot, they’ll leave to find a cooler spot. Bats can infect humans with a number of dangerous diseases, including rabies. Untreated, rabies travels slowly through the body over months without symptoms, then causes serious brain and nervous system damage that can lead to coma and death. Luckily, the rabies vaccine is very effective and can be given to people shortly after they’ve been exposed. It helps the body kill the virus before it reaches the brain. In Edelman’s case, the bat tested negative for rabies, but she still took action to be on the safe side. Most importantly, she wanted to share a PSA: “If you live in an older home, check those attics and chimneys. If you wake up with a bat in the room and aren’t sure whether you had contact with it, don’t assume you’re fine. It’s worth getting medical advice right away.”
