‘There’s a bat in my mouth’: Doctor’s bat nightmare goes viral - WTOP News

Dr. Krista Edelman, a Richmond gastroenterologist living in a nearly century-old home off Grove Avenue, woke up last week to find a bat trying to get into her mouth, later sharing the experience on Instagram where it has been shared more than 33,000 times.
Edelman said she was dreaming of a field mouse near her mouth before waking; she grabbed something that felt like a tulip, then noticed coarse hair and realized it was a bat, prompting her to scream repeatedly.
She researched the situation and learned to try catching the bat rather than killing it so it could be tested for rabies, then consulted a friend who is an infectious disease doctor for guidance on vaccination.
After her friend urged immediate treatment—noting that exposures closer to the brain carry markedly accelerated transmission risk—Edelman went to St. Mary's Hospital, where she works, and was seen by ER assistant medical director Dr. Adam Landsee.
Landsee warned that anyone who wakes to find a bat in their home should assume the worst, since bat teeth are so small it is difficult to know whether a bite occurred, and rabies is essentially fatal without treatment.
Dr. Julia Murphy, Virginia's public health veterinarian, said bat submissions for rabies testing are up this year, though positive results are not, and she recommends trapping the bat and contacting your local health department for guidance.