Just thought I'd add something to this thread as occasionally I see threads by people from the UK about rabies and I know a bit about this as some of my friends are ecologists.
First of all rabies was eradicated in the UK in 1922.
Ah but, your anxiety says, I Googled and there were some cases in bats in the 00s! Yes a rabies-type virus was found in Daubenton's Bats, and there was one fatality of a bat worker. This means bat workers now legally need a rabies shot before they can handle wild bats as a precaution.
But remember these are bat workers whose job it is to poke their hands in bat roosts. There has literally been no-one ever in this country who has had a rabid bat swoop down and bite them, and never will, that's not how it works. The bats over your garden - which are probably Pipistrelles or Long-eared Bats - are healthy bats feeding normally, who will avoid you, and are no threat unless you're a moth!
So in summary, all species of mammal in the UK are rabies free, there are a tiny amount of bats with a rabies-like virus, but this is only even a remote issue if your job involves provoking bats in a situation where sick ones will be lurking, and even then it's vanishingly unlikely. The chance you contracting rabies in the UK is 0.
Reply With Quote
