Sept. 1, 2026
Bats play an important role in Oregon’s ecosystems, but they can also carry rabies, a serious viral disease that affects the nervous system. The Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife encourage people to appreciate bats from a safe distance and take precautions to prevent potential rabies exposure.
According to OHA data, 30 bats had tested positive for rabies in Oregon so far in 2026, putting the state on track to exceed its previous record for animals testing positive in a single year. Although rabies is generally uncommon among bats, bats account for more human rabies exposures in the United States than any other animal species.
What is rabies?
Rabies is a viral infection that affects the brain and nervous system. It is usually transmitted through the saliva or nervous tissue of an infected animal, most commonly through a bite. Scratches or other situations in which saliva or nervous tissue enters broken skin or the eyes, nose, or mouth can also present a risk.
Once symptoms of rabies develop, the disease is almost always fatal. The good news is that rabies can be prevented after an exposure when appropriate post-exposure prophylaxis shots given before symptoms begin.
How long does rabies take to develop?
The incubation period – the time between exposure to the virus and development of symptoms – can vary considerably. In people, symptoms most often develop within three or more weeks to a few months.
The location and severity of the exposure, the amount of virus involved, and how quickly treatment is started can affect risk. Because the incubation period is unpredictable, a person should not wait for symptoms to develop before seeking medical advice after a possible rabies exposure.
Early symptoms may be nonspecific and can include fever, weakness, headache, or discomfort around the site of the exposure. As the disease progresses, serious neurological symptoms develop.
What should you do if you find a bat in your home?
If you discover a bat inside your home, stay calm and do not touch it. Keep children and pets away from the bat.
The circumstances surrounding the discovery are important. In particular, a bat found in a bedroom where someone was sleeping, especially a young child or someone who may not be able to recognize or report a bite, deserves prompt medical/public-health assessment because a bite or other contact may not always be noticed.
If the bat is indoors:
Do not simply release a bat from inside the home if there is a possibility that it could have exposed a person or pet. If it is safe to do so, the OHA recommends containing the bat by placing a box or container over it without touching it.
Do not handle the bat with bare hands. Contact your local animal services, fish and wildlife agency, public health authority or medical provider during working hours to discuss whether the circumstances represent a potential rabies exposure and what should be done next.
If a person has been bitten or scratched, the area should be washed thoroughly with soap and water, and medical advice should be obtained promptly.
What if nobody touched the bat?
Simply seeing a bat in the home does not automatically mean that everyone in the household has been exposed to rabies. Risk depends on the circumstances.
However, bat bites can be very small and may not always be recognized. Therefore, medical or public-health evaluation is particularly important when:
- A bat was found in a room with someone who was sleeping.
- A young child was alone with the bat or cannot reliably report whether contact occurred.
- Someone was unable to determine whether they had contact with the bat.
- A person had direct contact with the bat.
- A pet had contact with the bat.
A health care provider or public health professional can determine whether rabies post-exposure prophylaxis should be considered.
What is rabies PEP?
Post-exposure prophylaxis is treatment given after a potential rabies exposure to prevent the virus from causing disease.
For someone who has never previously been vaccinated against rabies, PEP generally includes wound cleansing, rabies immune globulin, and a series of rabies vaccine doses. The exact treatment depends on the person's circumstances and medical history.
The important point is that PEP is preventive treatment – it is not treatment for rabies symptoms after the disease has developed. Therefore, people with a possible exposure should seek medical guidance promptly rather than waiting to see whether symptoms occur.
Protecting your home
Prevent bats from entering living areas by maintaining screens and barriers around potential entry points, including open windows, chimneys, vents, and other openings. If bats are roosting in an attic or another part of the home, the ODFW recommends contacting a qualified wildlife control operator for assistance.
Bats are protected wildlife in Oregon, so they should not be harmed or kept as pets.
When to contact someone
If you find a bat in your home and are concerned about possible rabies exposure, contact your medical provider or your local public health authority during working hours to discuss the situation.
If someone was bitten or scratched, or there was possible direct contact with a bat, seek medical care promptly and report the potential exposure to the appropriate local public health or animal-control authority.
The safest approach is simple: do not touch the bat, keep children and pets away, safely contain it if possible, and contact your medical provider or local public health authority for guidance.
