Seattle Officials Warn on Rabid Bat Near UW Campus, Urge 206-296-4774 Calls After Contact

Q: With a second rabid bat found in Washington this year, are officials concerned about a wider outbreak?

No. Health officials are treating the second rabid bat found in Washington this year as a serious but isolated public health incident, not evidence of a wider outbreak. Their concern is focused on possible human exposure near the University of Washington, because rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin but is preventable if treatment starts quickly. That is why Seattle and King County health officials are urging anyone who touched the bat, was bitten or scratched, or had bare-skin contact with the bat or its saliva to seek immediate evaluation. The broader context does not suggest an expanding outbreak. In Washington, bats are the only known natural carriers of rabies, and officials say fewer than 1% of wild bats carry the virus. Human rabies remains extremely rare in the state, with only two reported cases in the past 75 years. Recent cases in King and Snohomish counties fit the pattern of sporadic bat-related rabies detections that public health agencies monitor each year, especially during warmer months when bat encounters increase. Officials’ messaging has centered on prevention rather than alarm: do not touch bats, call animal control if a bat appears sick or is on the ground, contact public health if a bat is found inside a home, and keep pets vaccinated. In short, authorities are clearly vigilant, but the available evidence points to routine rabies surveillance and exposure response, not a broader outbreak.

Q: Bat bites can be unnoticed. What are the subtle signs of rabies exposure that everyone should know?

The most important thing to know is that rabies exposure from a bat may leave no obvious bite mark at all. A tiny scratch, a brief touch involving saliva, or waking up with a bat in the room can be enough to justify urgent medical evaluation, because treatment works before symptoms start and rabies is almost always fatal after they begin. The subtle signs of exposure are often situational rather than physical. Risk is higher if you touched a bat, handled one bare-handed, found one in a room where someone was sleeping, or if an unattended child, intoxicated person, or heavy sleeper may have been near it. Bat bites can be so small they are not felt or seen. If symptoms do appear later, they usually start vaguely and can look like a routine illness: fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, or unusual tingling, itching, pain, or prickling at the exposure site. Those early clues can be easy to dismiss. As rabies progresses, warning signs become neurological, including confusion, agitation, insomnia, hallucinations, trouble swallowing, excess saliva, weakness, or paralysis. Public health guidance is clear: do not wait for symptoms if there is any chance of contact. Wash any possible wound thoroughly with soap and water for 10 to 15 minutes and seek medical care immediately. In King County, anyone who may have touched the rabid bat found near the University of Washington campus should call Public Health at 206-296-4774 right away.

Q: Rabies is fatal, but most bats are harmless. How can you tell if a bat on the ground is a threat?

You usually cannot tell by sight alone whether a bat on the ground has rabies, so the safe approach is to treat any grounded bat as a potential threat and avoid contact. A bat on the ground is already a warning sign. Healthy bats typically roost off the ground and fly away from people. If a bat is out in daylight, struggling to fly, crawling, or sitting exposed on a sidewalk or lawn, it may be sick or injured. But rabid bats do not always look obviously ill, and bites or scratches can be so small they go unnoticed. That is why public health officials focus less on how the bat looks and more on whether contact may have happened. If someone touched the bat, was bitten or scratched, had bare-skin contact with the bat or its saliva, or woke up in a room with a bat, they should seek medical advice immediately. The same applies to children, heavy sleepers, or anyone unable to reliably say whether contact occurred. If exposure is possible, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water for 10 to 15 minutes and contact Public Health or a healthcare provider right away. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, but post-exposure treatment is highly effective if given promptly. The practical rule is simple: do not handle a bat on the ground, keep pets and people away, and call animal control or public health if there is any chance of contact.

3 articles · Updated · KOMO News · Jul 18

A bat found Wednesday on University Way Northeast near Parrington Lawn tested positive for rabies Friday, prompting Seattle-King County health officials to seek anyone who may have touched it.
Officials said even contact without a bite can require urgent medical evaluation because rabies is almost always fatal after symptoms begin but preventable if treated early.
No known exposures have been confirmed so far, and the callers who reported the bat did not physically touch it; animal control euthanized the bat Thursday after multiple public reports.
Public Health said people should not touch bats outdoors, should call animal control if one appears sick, and should report indoor bat encounters to 206-296-4774 to assess testing or preventive treatment.

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KOMO News9h ago

Rabid Bat Found Near UW Campus in Seattle; Public Health Urges Immediate Medical Care for Contact

KIRO Seattle9h ago

Rabid bat found in Seattle near the University of Washington – KIRO 7 News Seattle

X9h ago

A rabid bat was found in Seattle on 7/15/26 near the UW campus. If you might have had contact with this bat (even if not bitten), seek medical evaluation immediately or call

With a second rabid bat found in Washington this year, are officials concerned about a wider outbreak?

Bat bites can be unnoticed. What are the subtle signs of rabies exposure that everyone should know?

Rabies is fatal, but most bats are harmless. How can you tell if a bat on the ground is a threat?

Seattle Officials Warn on Rabid Bat Near UW Campus, Urge 206-296-4774 Calls After Contact

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