Virginia gastroenterologist receives rabies treatment after bat contacts her mouth while sleeping
A Richmond doctor who woke to a bat near her mouth sought emergency care and began a rabies vaccination series, urging others in older homes to check for bats.
A gastroenterologist in Richmond, Virginia, reported that a bat entered her bedroom and attempted to crawl into her mouth while she was waking from sleep. The incident occurred in her nearly 100-year-old home, and the doctor quickly removed the animal and called her husband for assistance.
Because she had not been vaccinated against rabies and had direct contact with the bat, she went to an emergency department, where she received rabies immunoglobulin and began the rabies vaccine series. Animal control later collected the bat for testing.
"There’s a bat in my mouth," the doctor said in a social-media post that has attracted over a million views.
She used the experience to advise residents of older houses to inspect attics and chimneys for bats. Health officials note that bat bites can be very small and may go unnoticed, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends medical evaluation after any potential bat exposure, especially when a bite cannot be ruled out. Rabies is preventable when treatment is administered before symptoms appear.