Bat infestation in US tourist cabins sparks rabies concern

The Wyoming Department of Health is contacting visitors from 38 states and seven countries after a large number of bats were discovered in hotel rooms at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park.

At least 200 guests who stayed in eight cottage-style rooms between 15 May and 27 July may have been exposed to rabies. The lodge closed those rooms after multiple bat encounters were reported. Employees are also being notified, though their risk is considered lower.

Bats are the primary carriers of rabies in Wyoming. The virus attacks the nervous system and is usually spread through the bite or saliva of an infected animal. While rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, it can be prevented with prompt vaccination after exposure. Because bat bites and scratches can be tiny and hard to detect, people may be exposed without realising it.

Although none of the bats found in the lodges so far have tested positive for rabies, health officials noted that the tested animals represent only a small selection of the bats present, so the risk cannot be ruled out. They advised anyone who had direct contact with the bats, or who may have done unknowingly, such as children or heavy sleepers, to consider vaccination.

This is the region’s first large-scale rabies exposure since 2017, when a bat colony was found at another Grand Teton site.

Earlier this year, a British tourist died from rabies after being scratched by a stray puppy in Morocco.