What diseases do bats carry?

The Problem with Bats

Most people already know that bats are problematic animals. They leave their droppings everywhere in your home, leading to awful smells and stains. Their corrosive guano can even damage the building's structure, costing you a fortune.

Yet no doubt disease is the biggest issue with bats.

Rabies

Rabies is perhaps the most common disease carried by bats. Nearly all mammals — including humans — can spread rabies, but bats happen to be the most common carrier of the disease in the United States. In fact, it's said that 90% of all rabies cases in the US came from contact with a bat.

This disease is transmitted through an animal's saliva, and it has to get inside your body to take effect. That means getting the saliva into an open wound, your eyes, or elsewhere. It's for this reason that the most common way of getting rabies is through a bite, as it causes the wound and makes you encounter saliva at the same time.

You're not the only person at risk of rabies, as bats can also infect your pets.

Symptoms

Rabies comes in several different forms, with different symptoms for each.

The following are some of the earliest signs of a rabies infection:

• Fever and chills.
  
  
• Fatigue and tiredness.
  
  
• Severe headaches.
  
  
• Lack of appetite.
  
  
• Insomnia or difficulty sleeping.
  
  
• Unexplainable anxiety and irritability.
  
  

If you experience these symptoms after coming into contact with a bat or other wild animal, you should seek professional aid immediately. If you do not, the disease will only get worse. Then you'll experience the symptoms associated with one of the two types of rabies.

The first is called furious rabies, and it's by far the most common. Being infected leads to these symptoms:

• Immense anxiety.
  
  
• Sudden seizures.
  
  
• Confusion.
  
  
• Hyperactivity.
  
  
• Hallucination.
  
  
• Unexplainable fears — like the fear of water or of fresh air.
  
  
• Odd behavior.
  
  
• Biting people.
  
  

Others develop symptoms for the second type of rabies, called dumb rabies. These include:

• Weakness.
  
  
• Paralysis.
  
  

As you can see, rabies has some very unpleasant symptoms that you should avoid. If you don't get treated in time, things will only get worse. In fact, most cases of rabies are fatal.

Histoplasmosis

Histoplasmosis is the second common disease spread by bats. Unlike rabies, this is a disease caused by fungus. It grows inside bat or bird droppings.

The issue with this disease is that it's easy to get infected by it. Histoplasmosis easily becomes airborne, especially since bat guano quickly turns to dust when touched. That's why it's common to inhale histoplasmosis, and for the fungus to damage the lungs.

Symptoms

The symptoms of histoplasmosis vary greatly. Some experience no symptoms at all, while others get very sick. The following are the most common symptoms:

• Fevers.
  
  
• Headaches.
  
  
• Muscle aches.
  
  
• Dry coughs.
  
  
• Chest and joint pain.
  
  
• Rashes.
  
  

Unfortunately, the weaker you are the worse the effects of histoplasmosis. For example, people already suffering from a lung disease will also have bloody coughs, a loss of appetite, and other symptoms that are similar to tuberculosis.

If you're immunocompromised or have a very weak immune system, your body won't be able to fight back the fungus. Meaning the disease will spread to nearby organs.

In these severe cases, it's important you seek immediate medical attention. Otherwise, the disease could be fatal.

Other Diseases

Bats are responsible for a variety of deadly diseases. Though the common bat won't spread them, these diseases originally spread to humans through bats. Examples of this include:

• Ebola.
  
  
• The coronavirus.
  
  
• Nipah.
  
  

Professional Help

To avoid the devastating effect of these diseases, it's recommended you call a professional to remove all bat infestations in your home or business.

These experts have the necessary protective equipment, so they can remove the animals without the risk of being infected.