Health & Wellness

How to protect yourself from bats & prevent diseases like rabies

May 17, 2024

As you explore the outdoors this spring and summer, there's a chance you'll encounter a bat. Bats play an essential role in B.C.'s ecosystem and economy, and can eat their weight in insects (including mosquitoes) in one night. All bats in Canada eat nothing but insects, and in most cases, only flying insects. 

But they can also carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans, including rabies. Rabies is a very serious disease caused by a rabies virus. It's transmitted through saliva (spit), usually by the bite of a mammal. If not treated in time, a rabies infection is almost always fatal.

In B.C., between four and eight per cent of bats that come into contact with people test positive for the rabies virus. In 2023, 144 people in the region were treated for potential exposure to rabies.

Protecting yourself from contact with bats

  • Do not touch live or dead bats. Talk to your children about not touching bats lying on the ground as these creatures may be potentially sick.
  • Bat proof your home. Keep doors and windows closed, make sure window screens don’t have any holes, and keep attic vents properly screened and openings closed. Ensure soffits under your roof eaves don’t have holes or openings.
  • Be careful when opening power sunscreens or awnings. Bats may be roosting in the power box or casing, and can get squished when the screen is rolled up or down.
  • Avoid locations where bats are likely to be found (e.g. caves).
  • Vaccinate your pets against rabies.

What do I do if there is a bat in my home or a building?

  • If you find a live bat in a room of your home, open the window and close interior doors until the bat leaves.
  • If your home is inhabited by bats, seek professional bat-control advice from a pest control or wildlife specialist, or your local public health unit.
  • If you find bats living in a building, learn how to evict them safely.
  • If you find a dead bat in your yard between Nov. 1 and May 31, and you are sure that there has been no human or pet contact, you can contact the BC Community Bat Program at 1-855-9BC-BATS (1-855-922-2287) to ask if they need to collect it for wildlife health surveillance purposes. Don't touch the bat.

If you suspect you’ve been bitten or scratched by a bat

  • Thoroughly wash any bite or scratch wounds with soap and water.
  • Contact your local public health unit or primary care provider immediately or go to the emergency department. Treatment, which involves a two-week long period of vaccinations, should be administered as soon as possible after exposure. Without treatment, rabies is almost always fatal.
  • If possible, safely contain the bat to prevent others from being exposed. Keep the bat in a safe location until a trained public health official can arrange to pick it up and test it for rabies.
  • Although it's less frequent, other mammals can also carry rabies. Please consult with your health provider or emergency department if you had a close encounter with a potentially rabid animal.

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