Three students were bitten by bats on Third East Wengatz in the past two weeks, said senior Joey Gorski who lives on Third East. One student was bitten on the arm and noticed there was a bruise with two little marks by it — bat teeth marks. The bruise wasn’t a cause for concern, as it was probably only a little bit of bleeding under the skin. The real problem is potential rabies.
With modern vaccines, rabies is preventable when a person is infected, but by the time symptoms emerge, it is “virtually 100% fatal,” according to the World Health Organization.
Will Hagen, Vice President for Strategy and Chief of Staff, said the University sent two bats that were autopsied and it was confirmed that the bats did not contain rabies.
The number of shots people may get of the vaccine varies depending on the severity of the dose. According to Immunize.org, there are two kinds of equally reliable and safe vaccines in the U.S. called HDCV and PCECV. The first Wengatz resident who was bitten got two shots in the thigh and 12 in his arm where the bat bit him. The number of shots and length between doses may vary.
Several days later, another student woke up with a bite mark on his arm, according to Getgen. He and his roommates got the vaccine, being potentially exposed to any bit of rabies that he had caught, as bat bites are not always visible.
Senior Matt Getgen said the response from Third East Wengatz has varied. Some put a towel under their door to keep a bat from entering, while others, to stay safe, won’t sleep on the wing.
There have been bat sightings on Third East before, but these past few weeks were the first time they had bitten anyone, said Getgen. For a long time, the bat sightings were all on Third East, but last Monday, there was a bat that was on Second Center, which got into the center stairwell before it was captured. Several students saw the bat before it was captured and an email was sent to Wengatz residents so people would avoid the stairwell.
In general, the wing has kept a positive attitude. Getgen said they have been making jokes about the bats, and he has even joked with his roommate about making wing merch with a bat theme.
“Pretty much as soon as [the first guy] got bit, the jokes have been coming up,” Getgen said. “We wouldn’t [have joked] if the guy who first got bit [wasn’t] a super chill guy.”
An information meeting was held Feb. 28 in Wengatz. The meeting and follow-up email had some points about staying away from the bats for safety, and that the university would compensate anyone who wanted to get the vaccine.
