Maine CDC Shares Tips to Prevent Getting Rabies from Bats

Jul 29, 2026

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) reminds Maine people and visitors to take steps to avoid contact with bats. Bats are most active in Maine from midsummer through early September, but people can come into contact with bats at any time of year. The Maine CDC encourages people to be cautious around bats, keep a safe distance, and know what to do after exposure to a bat.

While bats play an important role in nature, they can also carry rabies. Rabies is a serious disease that can affect people, pets, and livestock. Without timely prevention, it is almost always fatal. Human rabies is rare in the United States, with one to three cases reported in the United States each year. Maine has not reported a human rabies case since 1937.

Rabies spreads through the bite, and sometimes scratch, of an infected mammal. The virus can also spread through contact with an infected mammal's brain or spinal cord. Rabies does not spread through blood, urine, feces, skunk spray, or dried saliva.

People should avoid touching wildlife or animals they do not know. A rabid animal may show a variety of symptoms or no symptoms at all. It is not possible to identify whether an animal has rabies just by looking at it.

In 2025, bats made up 47 percent of the 720 animals tested by the Maine CDC, and seven bats tested positive for rabies. As of July 17, 2026, bats made up 51 percent of the 353 animals tested in Maine, with five that tested positive for rabies.

Determining whether exposure to a bat occurred may be difficult. Each situation should be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

A bat exposure may include:

• A bite or scratch
• Handling a bat without gloves
• Waking up and finding a bat in the room
• Finding a bat in a room with an unaccompanied young child or an incapacitated adult who cannot say whether contact happened.
• Pets or livestock holding a bat in their mouths, or found in the same area as the bat (like a living room or barn)

If you think a person or animal may have been exposed to a bat:

1. Safely capture the bat if you can. Only release the bat outdoors if you are sure it did not have contact with people or pets. If unsure, call the Maine CDC before releasing the bat.
2. Have the bat tested. Contact the Maine Warden Service or your local Animal Control Officer if a Warden is not available. They can arrange for rabies testing.
3. Seek medical care, if bitten or scratched. Wash the area with soap and warm water for 10 to 15 minutes and contact a health care provider. You can prevent getting rabies after an exposure with rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (rabies PEP). In many cases, rabies PEP can wait until rabies test results are available.
4. Protect pets and livestock. Contact your veterinarian if your pets or livestock have contact with bats. Keep your pets and livestock up to date on their rabies vaccinations.
5. Keep bats out of buildings. Seal openings and take other steps to remove and prevent bats from entering your home or building.

For more information:

• Maine CDC Rabies webpage
• Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Bats webpage
• Maine CDC disease reporting & consultation line: 1-800-821-5821 (available 24/7)
• Maine IF&W Game Warden Dispatch Centers (for bat pick-up and delivery)
  • Augusta: 1-800-452-4664
  • Bangor: 1-800-432-7381
  • Houlton: 1-800-924-2261
• Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Regional Offices