Rabies?

[Jholl]

Literally so paranoid about getting rabies. I swore I saw a bat in my ac vent so I called animal control and the officer came in and said he didn’t see it. I’m paranoid he has rabies saliva on his boots and tracked it into my house. I sprayed Lysol on the carpet he walked on. I washed the laminate floor with a Lysol wipe. Now I’m paranoid it airborne from me rubbing the floor and went into my lungs. I’m so scared he handled a rabid animal just before he walked into my home and it was on hIs boots and clothing. Is this insane?

 

[doubleanx]

I hope it helps to know that even if there is a bat, there's no way you could become infected unless the bat comes out and bites you (VERY unlikely). The animal control officer is a trained professional and if there was a bat, he would have seen it. If the animal control officer had rabies on him, you would have to rub an open wound on the places he touched to become infected. Rabies can only last about 10 minutes outside of a body so there's really nothing to worry about. I used to have nightmares every night about Rabies until I actually researched it and realized it's basically impossible to die from if you have access to medical care. The only time you need to worry is if you're bitten by a wild animal and don't seek medical help for more then 6 days. Dogs make up 99% of rabies transmission to humans and unless you live in a poor rural area in Africa or Asia, you really don't have anything to worry about.

 

[Jholl]

This is what scares me the most about his boots

 

[Cuchculan]

Where do people even find such articles? Did the find that article before or after you thought you this bat? My point been that a lot of people with health anxiety go looking for problems and they always find them. I have had health issues over the years and never once looked up what was going on with me. Because I knew I would find some stories that differ from the normal stories. I am sure if I wrote my symptoms into Google I would find some site that would presume me dead and buried by now. That is what looking things up can throw back at you.

 

[matisworried]

how many animal bites do you think there are in the world on any given day? thousands? how many of them end of with rabies? 0? maybe 1 or 2? rabies is not common... and catching it in the manner you're concerned about is ridiculously unlikely.

my best advice (and really only advice) is to stay off of the internet. if you have health anxiety, google is NEVER your friend. your "research" is only ramping up your anxiety and that's, obviously, no good.

 

[Jholl]

Yeah, this seems like a stretch, for sure. I’m just so paranoid it was a bat in the vent in my sons room. My anxiety is crazy! Between worrying about what the animal control guy brought in and worrying about what I think is a dead bat in the vent. What’s this look like to you?

 

[matisworried]

Yeah, this seems like a stretch, for sure. I’m just so paranoid it was a bat in the vent in my sons room. My anxiety is crazy! Between worrying about what the animal control guy brought in and worrying about what I think is a dead bat in the vent. What’s this look like to you?
View attachment 739

not anything that was every alive?

 

[ladybj]

Where do people even find such articles? Did the find that article before or after you thought you this bat? My point been that a lot of people with health anxiety go looking for problems and they always find them. I have had health issues over the years and never once looked up what was going on with me. Because I knew I would find some stories that differ from the normal stories. I am sure if I wrote my symptoms into Google I would find some site that would presume me dead and buried by now. That is what looking things up can throw back at you.

I sooooo agree. If I am bold enough to google, I am bold enough to accept the results...lol. We have to be careful searching for things on the internet we are well aware, we can't believe EVERYTHING we read... I know I don't.

 

[Jholl]

not anything that was every alive?

Just the picture above that looks like a dead baby bat in my sons room.

 

[matisworried]

Just the picture above that looks like a dead baby bat in my sons room.

from the picture, it just doesn't look like anything other than paper or something. obviously, I'm sure it looks much different in person. regardless, bats are mostly harmless to humans and we really don't need to fear them.