Virginia doctor traps bat that tried to enter her mouth, urges prompt rabies precautions

A gastroenterologist at St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, woke up to a bat trying to enter her mouth in her nearly century-old home. After realizing the creature was not a mouse, she screamed and quickly trapped the bat in a bucket. She consulted an infectious-disease colleague and then visited the hospital’s emergency department, where Dr. Adam Landsee, assistant medical director, advised that any bat exposure should be treated as a potential rabies risk because bat bites can be difficult to detect. The Virginia Department of Health’s state public health veterinarian, Dr. Julia Murphy, said bat submissions for rabies testing have risen, though positive results remain low, and recommended contacting local health authorities promptly, noting that testing can be completed within 48 hours. The bat later tested negative for rabies. The physician shared her experience to raise awareness about proper response steps after bat encounters.