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Woman wakes up to bat trying to crawl into her mouth: 'I was screaming repeatedly'
WESH • • health
Key Points:
- Dr. Krista Edelman, a gastroenterologist in Richmond, Virginia, woke up to a bat attempting to enter her mouth and successfully trapped it for rabies testing.
- She sought medical advice promptly, highlighting the importance of immediate action due to the high risk of rabies transmission from bat bites, which can be difficult to detect.
- Medical experts emphasized that if a bat is found in a room, especially near a person sleeping, one should assume potential exposure and seek urgent medical evaluation and rabies testing of the bat.
- The Virginia Department of Health noted an increase in bat submissions for rabies testing this year, though the rate of positive cases has not risen, and recommended contacting local health authorities quickly for guidance.
- Edelman shared her experience to raise awareness about proper response to potential rabies exposure, underscoring that even those familiar with rural life may be unprepared for such incidents.
