The Chicago Department of Public Health is warning the public of a bat exposure at a large outdoor concert in the city.
CDPH said bats in and around the Chicago area are known to have rabies, though not all bats have the disease.
Officials said the potential exposure happened at the Goose concert at the Salt Shed on Sept. 12. The event took place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Attendees should be concerned about potential exposure to rabies if they have been bitten or scratched by a bat, or if a bat had physical contact with bare skin. Since bats have tiny teeth, a bite may not be felt or seen.
Anyone at the concert who had direct contact with a bat should immediately contact a healthcare provider to discuss rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, CDPH said. PEP includes a dose of human rabies immune globulin and four doses of vaccine, which is highly effective at preventing rabies.
No action is needed for those who did not come in direct contact with a bat at the event. A bat flying over you does not put you at risk.
What is rabies?
Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system, according to the World Health Organization. It is spread to people and animals through saliva, usually via a bite, scratch or contact with mucosa.
“Rabies in humans is almost always a fatal disease,” CDPH said. “Therefore, it is critical to provide prompt and appropriate rabies post-exposure prophylaxis after bat exposures take place.”
There are two forms of rabies, according to the WHO.
Symptoms of furious rabies include “hyperactivity, excitable behavior, hallucinations, lack of coordination, hydrophobia (fear of water) and aerophobia (fear of drafts or of fresh air),” the WHO says. In this case, death occurs after a few days because of cardio-respiratory arrest.
The second form, paralytic rabies, accounts for about 20% of human cases, says the WHO. This usually takes a longer course and consists of muscles gradually becoming paralyzed, starting from the site of infection. In this case, a person slowly falls into a coma and dies.
Rabies is a public health issue in more than 150 countries and territories, according to the WHO.
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