Rabid Bat Gets Tangled in Woman’s Hair at National Park as Officials Issue Urgent Warning

The National Park Service is urgently trying to reach a woman who came into close contact with a bat that later tested positive for rabies at Olympic National Park.

The frightening encounter happened around 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9, near the Staircase Bridge in Washington state.

According to park officials, the bat suddenly swooped down and became tangled in the unidentified woman’s hair.

The animal was later captured and tested positive for rabies, prompting officials to issue a public health warning.

The woman is now considered at risk of exposure and is being urged to seek medical care as soon as possible.

Officials said the same bat also swooped at other visitors in the area, although it remains unclear whether anyone else came into direct contact with it.

“Anyone who may have had contact with a bat in the area should contact a healthcare provider and their local health department promptly to determine whether treatment is needed,” Olympic National Park said in a safety alert.

Park officials are specifically asking the woman involved in the hair incident to contact the Mason County Health Department.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease that can spread through the bite or scratch of an infected animal.

While the disease is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, treatment given quickly after exposure is highly effective at preventing infection.

That treatment, known as post-exposure prophylaxis, can include cleaning the wound, receiving rabies immune globulin and getting a series of vaccines.

According to the CDC, post-exposure treatment is nearly 100% effective when administered before symptoms develop.

Rabies deaths remain rare in the United States, with fewer than 10 reported in most years, but health officials continue to warn that bats and other wild animals can carry the virus.

Anyone who was near the Staircase Bridge on Aug. 9 and believes they may have touched the bat is being urged to contact a healthcare provider immediately.