Kansas Issues Bat Rabies Guidance as Test Results Arrive Within 2 Days

Q: Could a gap as small as a quarter-inch be harboring a fatal, invisible threat in your home this summer?

Yes. A gap as small as a quarter-inch can be enough for a bat to get into a house, and in rare cases that can create a serious rabies risk. Kansas health officials stress that most bat encounters are not dangerous. The threat becomes urgent when there may have been direct contact, because bat bites or scratches can be tiny and easy to miss. That is why a bat found in a bedroom with a sleeping person, a child, or someone unable to say whether contact happened is treated as a potential exposure. KDHE says residents should not handle bats with bare hands. If no person or pet touched the bat and it was not in a sleeping person’s room, it can usually be carefully captured and released outside. But if it touched bare skin, bit or scratched someone, or was found where someone was asleep, the bat should be captured if possible and reported so it can be tested for rabies at the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Results usually come back within about two business days. If the bat tests positive, cannot be tested, or was in a room with a sleeping child or another person unable to report contact, rabies post-exposure treatment is recommended. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, but it is preventable if treated in time. Prevention matters. Bats can enter through very small openings around rooflines, soffits, vents, chimneys, siding, doors, windows, and utility gaps. Sealing those cracks and keeping pets vaccinated can sharply reduce the risk.

3 articles · Updated · kdhe.ks.gov · Aug 17

KDHE told Kansans to first determine whether any person or pet had direct contact with a bat, or whether a bat was found in a sleeping person’s room.
No-contact encounters are generally considered safe: residents can carefully capture and release the bat outside, then seal cracks and gaps to prevent repeat entries.
Direct contact — including bare-hand handling, bites, scratches or skin contact — can trigger rabies testing, with samples sent to the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and results typically returned within 48 hours.
Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis may be needed if a bat tests positive, cannot be tested, or is found in the room of a sleeping child or someone unable to report contact; treatment is available in Kansas emergency departments.
KDHE said rabies is fatal but preventable and urged anyone unsure about possible exposure to contact a doctor, local health department or the state epidemiology hotline.