Hey there,
My name is Silas. Three days ago, I was going through a walk in a forest near my home in rural British Columbia when I heard some chirping / clicking sounds. A few minutes later, I noticed what felt like a large insect touch my arm. Looking over, I thought I saw something dark fly into a nearby bush. Examining my arm, I found three tiny red marks in a row near where I felt something touch it. They cover a total length of about 1-2 centimeters, and look like tiny pinpricks. I am worried that a possibly rabid bat made contact and bit my arm.
Although I have been told that I would've felt a bat bite, other source seem to claim that the bites can be so small that they're nearly unnoticeable. I am thinking of visiting a doctor for a rabies post-exposure prophylaxis shot, and am hoping for other opinions on whether I should or not.
I should mention that I have a history of anxiety when it comes to bats and rabies- I visited the emergency room last year following a potential contact with a bat, and have worried about them ever since. Still, I don't want to dismiss this is as purely anxiety. Rabies is a very dangerous disease.
I've attached a photo below of the three red marks, circled in blue. They're pretty hard to see, but they're noticeable different from the other moles / small marks in the area. I could only find one similar mark on my skin, and it was just a single one. Thank you all for the help.
it’s hard to tell if you were bit or not. But if you’re concerned talk to your doctor about this and see what they recommend.
he or she may or may not recommend a shot. Make sure you know what side effects of the shot are. You have to weigh the benefit versus the risk. Take care
Thank you very much for the reply. I visited the doctor and received a shot today- the risk was very low, but they decided that I should probably stick to the safe side of things.
Thank you for the help! I hope that your day / evening goes well.