Rabid bat found on Sidewalk near the University of Washington

EDITOR’S NOTE: Seattle’s Child publishes health alerts from Public Health — Seattle & King County as a service to our readers. The alert below was written by the health department and have not been edited by our staff.

A rabid bat was found in Seattle on July 15, 2026, on the sidewalk on University Way Northeast, between NE 41^st and NE 42^nd streets. This is near Parrington Lawn, on the University of Washington campus, and is a busy area with many businesses.

Anyone who might have had physical contact with this bat (even if not bitten) could be at risk and should seek medical evaluation immediately or call Public Health at 206-296-4774 to determine if rabies preventative treatment is necessary.

Rabies is a life-threatening disease but can be prevented if treatment is given before symptoms appear.

The bat was first identified on July 15, 2026. Public Health – Seattle & King County received multiple public calls about the bat and directed people to contact animal control. The bat was euthanized by an animal control agency on July 16, 2026. Public Health tested the bat for rabies and received a positive test on July 17, 2026.

Public Health confirmed the callers reporting the bat did not have physical contact with the bat. To date, no other people are known to have been exposed to this bat. If you had any contact with this bat, please call Public Health or seek medical evaluation immediately.

Who is at risk

Any person or animal that touched or had contact with the bat or its saliva could be at risk of getting rabies, which is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. Fortunately, rabies can be prevented if treatment is given before symptoms appear.

“Rabies is treatable if caught before symptoms appear, so identifying anyone who has had contact with the bat as soon as possible is important,” said Jocelyn Mullins, Public Health Veterinarian at Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Contact includes touching a bat, being bitten or scratched, or having any other bare skin contact with a bat or its saliva.”

Rabies and pets

If your pet might have had contact with this bat, contact your veterinarian immediately. Dogs, cats, ferrets, and horses should be current on their rabies vaccine but will need to be revaccinated if they had contact with a bat. The best way to prevent rabies in pets is to ensure they are up-to-date on rabies vaccinations.

More about rabies

Rabies is dangerous, but it can be prevented if treatment is given before symptoms develop.

• If someone has had contact with a bat, treatment can prevent infection. This treatment should be given as soon as possible.

• Rabies is a viral disease of the central nervous system that is almost always fatal once symptoms begin.

• The virus is found in the saliva of an animal with rabies and is usually transmitted by a bite or scratch. Because rabies is a life-threatening disease, medical advice must be sought promptly if a bat comes into contact with humans or animals.

If you find a bat

If you see a bat outside, do not touch the bat. If you are concerned that the bat is sick, call animal control. Find animal control services in your area.

If you find a bat inside your house, call Public Health at 206-296-4774 to discuss the situation and to determine whether the bat needs to be tested for rabies. Public Health tests bats for rabies at no charge under certain circumstances.

Open windows and allow bats to leave your home if they have not come into contact with a person or pets. Close doors to other parts of your home and secure pets away from the location of the bat.

If a bat had direct contact with a person’s bare skin or with a pet, OR if a person wakes up to a bat in the room in which they were sleeping, the bat should be captured and might need to be tested for rabies. Use a shovel or thick gloves to put a dead bat in a box for testing. Do not throw it away!

For more information about how to safely capture a bat in your home and how to safely avoid bats, visit: kingcounty.gov/bats .