Bat bite on West Vancouver trail prompts rabies alert as summer incidents spike

A West Vancouver visitor was bitten by a bat on Whyte Lake Trail on Friday afternoon, prompting a reminder from health officials that anyone exposed to a bat should seek immediate medical attention.

The man and his wife were walking their dogs when a black bat swooped in and bit his left hand. He went to Lions Gate Hospital for rabies evaluation. "I thought it was a bird at first," he said. Before the incident, he'd heard from friends about similar encounters in recent weeks.

Dr. Alex Choi, medical health officer for the North Shore, said there's been an increase in people getting checked after bat incidents this summer, though it's consistent with typical seasonal patterns. "Where there are more bats around and there are more humans doing outdoor activities, there are more bats that come into contact with people on the North Shore," she said.

People have sought evaluation after bat contact on different trails around Metro Vancouver. Less than 1 percent of bats in B.C. carry rabies, and no other wild animals carry the virus in the province—a protection attributed to the Rocky Mountains as a natural barrier. Since 1924, Canada has had 28 rabies deaths, including two in B.C. The most recent B.C. case was a 21-year-old from Vancouver Island who died in 2019 after bat contact.

Once rabies symptoms appear—flu-like signs including fever, tiredness, headaches, anxiety or irritability that can progress to hallucinations, hyperactivity, and fear of water—the virus is fatal. But promptly receiving immunoglobulin injections and multiple vaccines stops the virus before symptoms start.

"Rabies is such a serious disease, we are very cautious and we treat every case where someone has come into contact with a bat," Choi said. She urged people to install screens on windows and doors to limit bat exposure and keep other insects like mosquitoes out. Anyone who has been bitten, scratched, or had a bat's body touch their skin should seek medical attention immediately.