• Retrograde@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m already terrified of rabies but now you’re telling me it can transfer thru simple contact?

    • tygerprints@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      But to be clear, the majority of bats don’t carry rabies, it’s like 1 out of 200. Still you can get rabies if the saliva of a bat gets on your hands at all. And often, people get bitten don’t even realize it because bats teeth are very small. So, best practice is not to touch a living bat and not to handle dead bats without gloves, just to be safe.

    • tygerprints@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Yes. Here in Utah we have public service announcements telling people not to pick up dead bats with their bare hands, or ever handle live ones. Rabies are often transmitted just by touch alone, and the symptoms may not even show up for 2 to 3 months.