The simple, short answer to this question is in fact no, not all South Carolina bats carry rabies. If anything, the contraction rate of rabies by bats is far lower than that of other animals like dogs for example. Human beings are less likely to die from bat transmitted rabies than from dog transmitted rabies.



Being near a Columbia bat, or having a bat in the vicinity will also not make catch rabies. There has to be transmission of fluids through a bit for instance for the virus to be transferred to someone. Contact between infected fluid and mucous membranes will also make it possible to catch the disease.

While it is important to report all bat bite to a doctor as soon as possible, this is usually just a precautionary measure that should be taken when you are bitten by any animals. Bat bites will feel like quick injections since the bats have very small teeth. The bite marks may however not be so visible to the eye.

Some signs that can point to the health of a bat include disoriented movements, slow flight or complete inability to even fly and constant zoning out such that the animal is not even jarred when approached by a potential predator or human being.

While all these are obvious signs that the bat may be in bad health, there is no guarantee that the bat suffers from rabies. This is exactly why it is important to report all bat bites to a physician. Running the proper lab tests to determine whether or not the bat was rabid is important because getting treatment as early as possible would be highly beneficial to the patient.

Precautions need to be taken in order to prevent Columbia bats from gaining access into human inhabited areas. In case bats still make it into these kinds of places, it is then advisable to call in animal control to get rid of these animals by relocating them. Never try to remove bats, dead or alive, from your home all by yourself. This is because a bat that is alive will probably get aggressive and attack you if you go near it, causing bodily harm to you in the process, or worse, transmitting diseases through the scratches. Dead bats are said to be worse than alive ones as the potential for transmitting diseases from a rotting carcass is even higher.

Whereas there may be significantly low chances of catching rabies from bat bites, getting vaccinated after a bite is still important just to be 100% sure. This is also why it is important to report all bat bites; so that the preventative treatment is administered in case the test for rabies comes back positive. There may be lower chances that a bat bite may spread rabies but this doesn’t completely rule out the possibility. However, the notion that all bats carry rabies is a proven misconception that should not cause panic among people in any way. Visit our Columbia wildlife trapping home page to learn more about us.