Bat Exposures Are Rising. Here's What You Need to Know About Rabies Prevention.

As bat encounters spike in British Columbia, health officials are issuing clear warnings about rabies risk—and what to do if you come into contact with a bat.

Here's something that might surprise you: if a bat touches you through your clothing, you could be exposed to rabies.

Not just if it bites you. Not just if it scratches you. Any contact—even through fabric—can transmit the virus.

That warning is especially relevant right now. In British Columbia's Interior region, bat exposures have skyrocketed. In 2024, there were 128 reported human-bat exposures. In 2025, that number jumped to 346. That's a 2.7-fold increase in a single year.

Interior Health is issuing an alert. Dr. Andy Delli Pizzi, a medical health officer with the authority, is clear: this matters because rabies is fatal. But it's also almost always preventable if you act quickly.

Why Bats Are Different

Rabies is transmitted when the virus gets under your skin. Usually that's through a bite or scratch. But bats have unusually small teeth. So small that they might not leave a visible mark. You could be bitten and not know it.

Beyond teeth, bats can transmit rabies through saliva to an open wound. If you have a cut or scrape on your skin and a bat's saliva makes contact, exposure happens.

"Rabies is transmitted from animals and it requires the virus to get under our skin," Delli Pizzi explains. "That usually is from a bite or scratch from teeth, it could also be their saliva to an open wound. But with bats, because their teeth are so small, they may not leave a visible mark, a visible bite."

This is why any bat contact requires medical assessment, no matter how minor it seems.

The Statistics You Need to Know

Approximately 0.5 percent of bats in British Columbia carry rabies. That's a relatively small percentage. But here's what changes the math: when bats come into contact with humans or domestic animals, they're more likely to carry the virus. Of bats sent for rabies testing in B.C., eight percent come back positive.

That means if a bat has made contact with you, the virus is statistically more likely to be present than the general bat population would suggest.

According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, bats are the only natural transmitters of rabies virus in the province. That makes them the exclusive concern for rabies prevention in B.C.

Why the Spike?

Interior Health isn't entirely sure why bat exposures tripled. The bat population hasn't notably increased. But they've offered several theories.

2025 was a relatively calm wildfire season with good air quality. That meant more people spent time outdoors. More time outside equals more opportunity for accidental bat contact.

Additionally, public awareness may have increased after an eleven-year-old in Ontario died of rabies in 2024. That tragedy prompted media coverage and conversations about bat risks. More awareness might have led to more reporting of exposures that previously would have gone unreported.

Whatever the reason, the pattern is clear: more bats are coming into contact with people.

The Good News: It's Preventable

Here's what you absolutely must understand: rabies infection is fatal. Once symptoms develop, the disease is almost always fatal. But because it typically takes weeks to develop after exposure, it's almost always preventable with post-exposure prophylaxis—a series of vaccines administered after exposure.

"Rabies infection is a very serious illness. It's not treatable and it's fatal if a person becomes sick with rabies," Delli Pizzi said. "But because it usually takes weeks to develop after exposure to the virus, it's almost always preventable after an exposure with a course of vaccines."

The window between exposure and symptom onset gives you time to prevent the disease. But you have to act.

What to Do If You're Exposed

If a bat touches you, here's the protocol:

Wash immediately. Use copious amounts of soap and water on the exposed area. Wash for at least 15 minutes. Soap and water are highly effective at removing the virus if it's present.

Seek medical assessment. Go to an emergency department or call your local public health unit. This isn't something to wait on or handle at home.

Get vaccinated. Treatment involves a series of immunizations over several weeks. This post-exposure prophylaxis is what prevents rabies from developing.

What to Do If There's a Bat in Your Home

If you find a bat in your home, don't try to remove it yourself. Here's what Interior Health recommends:

Close the door to any room the bat is in. Isolate it from the rest of your home and from people.

Contact the B.C. Community Bat Program for instructions on safe removal. Don't attempt this yourself.

If anyone in the home has touched the bat or thinks they might have, seek medical assessment immediately. Don't assume contact didn't happen because you didn't see it.

Why This Matters Now

The spike in bat exposures isn't a moment of panic. It's a moment of awareness. The risk from bats has always existed. What's changed is the frequency of contact and the clarity of reporting.

For people spending time outdoors this summer, especially in the B.C. Interior, this means: don't touch bats. If you encounter one, maintain distance. If contact happens, act immediately.

For parents, this means talking to your kids about bat safety. For pet owners, this means being aware that your pets can also be exposed. For healthcare workers, this means knowing the protocol for post-exposure prophylaxis.

Rabies is rare. Rabies is fatal. Rabies is preventable. That combination demands respect and action.