Do I have rabies?

[macekid421]

The crux of this question revolves around how deep and fresh a cut must be for the rabies virus to enter.

Two nights ago I was on the roof doing laundry when my cat caught a bat. It was too dark for me to determine whether the bat was sickly or not. The bat was shrieking so I tried to separate them with a pole. My cat wasn't letting go so I grabbed a pail of water and splashed them. My cat moved away from the bat and I scooped her up and threw her inside the house. After that I took a look at the bat who had managed to itself itself a few feet outside my reach beyond the roof cage. I went downstairs and realized that picking up the cat was the stupidest thing I could have done as my hands have numerous small cuts from playing with the cats. None of them are deep, but a couple are less than 24 hours old. I washed my hands with soap. The next day I went up and the bat was gone. My cat could have eaten it whole, hid it somewhere, or it could have flown off. I don't know how damaged it was by my cat's mauling.

My question is how likely is it that the rabies in the saliva of the bat got onto my cat's fur, then onto my hand when I picked her up? How likely is it that it got into my body through the half-day-old cat scratches? They had stopped bleeding shortly after I got them. I don't want to go in and get the 7 rabies shots if there's no chance I'm infected. But if there's a small chance then it's worth it. Right now is bat mating season in northern Vietnam where I life and while most rabies comes from dogs, I have found studies showing northern Vietnamese bats can have multiple strains of rabies.

[mkh9]

see last post. Also, has your cat been vaccinate for rabies?
mkh9

[mkh9]

The CDC website just says "an open wound." But I believe they mean that it is open where there is blood in it. Not just  a surface scratch. If you still feel uneasy maybe you should talk to your doctor or local public health just to clear things in your mind. You don't want to delay things too much longer if there was an exposure.

From the CDC it says that "Scratches, abrasions, open wounds, or mucous membranes contaminated with saliva or other potentially infectious material (such as brain tissue) from a rabid animal constitute non-bite exposures. Occasionally reports of non-bite exposure are such that postexposure prophylaxis is given."
See link;
http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/transmission/exposure.html

Usually the scratches have some bit of blood. If you know they were closed wounds you are okay. If you are uncertain I would talk to a doctor.

These are open wound types. But the CDC says scratches and open wounds so they are not specific.
http://www.healthline.com/health/open-wound#Overview1
mkh9

[mkh9]

Yes, it would have to be open and have blood not just skin in it. So the saliva from the animal would have to be able to get into the blood stream.
mkh9

[macekid421]

By "open wound" you mean bleeding right? I've been trying to clarify what the terms "broken skin" and "open wound" actually mean for days :(

[mkh9]

Well, if you are 100% certain there were no open wounds you would be okay. If you are not 100% certain then you would need the shots. So, you would know by looking at your hands when you washed them.
take care,
mkh9

[macekid421]

I meant to say, "There was no blood at the time of contact with the bat though."

[macekid421]

Thanks for the response and info! Yes all the cuts were dry. I also washed my hands with soap prior to touching my eyes/nose/mouth. The cut that worried me was one on my middle finger that was a bit swollen and pink that day. The cat's claw sunk in pretty deep and I suppose there was a minor infection. There was no blood at the time of contact with my cat though. I realize my risk is small, but given how deadly rabies is I'm still very worried.

[mkh9]

Also, if you get saliva from the animal into your eyes nose or mouth you ca get exposed. But it is rare.
mkh9

http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/transmission/exposure.html

[mkh9]

Hi and sorry you went through all this. It all depends on whether your cuts on your hands were open or not. If there was any cut that had an open wound where saliva could contact blood that is where you would get infected. It doesn't matter how deep. It is whether or not the cuts were all closed or if there were any that were open and had blood in it so that if there was saliva on the cat and it got into the blood in your cut then you would have a problem. It is not likely but not 100% impossible unless you know your cuts were closed.

So if your cuts were for sure closed you are okay. If not and any were still open to have blood in them (hope that makes sense) then you may have a slight risk.
mkh9

[macekid421]

Sorry for the typo-s. I've been awake all night worrying about this.