Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats...
by spazrunaway on Thursday January 06, 2022 @05:31PM
(#29831391)
What's the risk of contact with bats outdoors? I often go for twilight walks and see them flying from tree to tree. But I sometimes wonder if a rabid one could swoop by, scrape me with its teeth, and I'd never even know. Maybe that's too paranoid...
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats...
by throwawayboise on Thursday January 06, 2022 @07:39PM
(#29832982)
You're too paranoid. Bats have good enough echolocation ability to eat mosquitoes out of the air. They aren't going to fly into you by accident.
Bats do a lot of good keeping other insects under control.
Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats...
by powersurge360 on Thursday January 06, 2022 @08:45PM
(#29833647)
Bats do do a lot of good, but you also can be bitten by a rabid bat without knowing it.
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/16/health/cases-a-bat-s-swif...
Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats...
by inglor_cz on Friday January 07, 2022 @07:42AM
(#29838435)
Bats generally avoid people outdoors.
Your risk grows significantly if you enter their caves etc. Even bat guano is a good source of dangerous pathogens.
If you sleep with your window open, I recommend installation of a screen. Not just against bats, against insects, too. My wife got stung by a hornet when she stepped on it with a bare foot (it was right next to our bed on the floor) and it was a very painful experience. Our next residence is definitely going to include screens.