Bats & Rabies

Bats in Your Attic?


Bats can transmit rabies to humans. Do you have bats in your attic?

Attics are the place in a house where bats usually choose to roost and raise their young. After a few hot summer days, an attic can become too warm for the bats, forcing them into people's living quarters as they search for cooler places to roost.

If you find a bat inside your house, do not release the bat outdoors until you can safely determine that no exposure occurred.

Never handle a bat with bare hands!

Exposure


An exposure occurs when:
  • A person has had direct contact with a live bat and cannot rule out that a bite or scratch may have occurred.
  • A sleeping person awakens to find a bat in the room.
  • An adult witnesses a bat in the room with a previously unattended child, a mentally disabled person, an intoxicated person, or a pet.
Decisions about rabies exposure and the possible need for treatment should be made by your doctor. If you think you or someone in your home may have been exposed to a bat, contact your doctor.

Questions


If you have questions about potential rabies exposure please call the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Division of Epidemiology and Immunization at 617-983-6800. An epidemiologist is available 24/7 for questions. For additional information about rabies, you may also visit the MDPH website.



Contact Us

  1. Public Health Division

    Physical Address
    107 Merrimack Street, 4th Flr
    Lowell, MA 01852

    Phone: 978-674-4308
    Fax: 978-970-4011

    Hours


    Monday
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
    Tuesday
    8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
    Wednesday
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
    Thursday
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
    Friday
    8:00 AM - 12:00 PM