A bat tried to enter a woman's mouth — what are doctors warning about?

Krista Edelman, a gastroenterologist based in Richmond, Virginia, USA, shared a video message on her Instagram page about a terrifying and unusual incident that occurred at night. The woman woke up in the middle of the night and noticed an unknown creature moving on her face.

Initially thinking it was just a realistic dream, the doctor reached out with her hand and realized a real live bat was trying to enter her mouth.

«I folded its wings with my hand»: Details of a terrifying night

In an interview with local television channels, the doctor recalls those frightening moments from that night as follows:

• An unusual dream: «In my dream, I saw a very cute, small field mouse trying to get into my mouth. Everything felt incredibly real,» Edelman says;

• Real fear and wings: «After waking up, I felt something around my mouth and reached out. When I touched it, I realized I was holding the folded wings of a bat. It wasn't a dream; it was a live bat trying to enter my mouth,» she emphasized to the WWBT-TV channel;

• Quick rescue: Her husband, awakened by her screams, immediately caught the bat, and the doctors placed it in a special container and rushed to the emergency room.

Medical expert warning: What is the risk of rabies?

Dr. Adam Landsman, deputy medical director at St. Mary's Hospital, noted that the doctor made the right decision by bringing the bat in for examination:

• Invisible bite marks: Bat teeth are extremely small, and a person may not even notice they have been bitten;

• Risk of rabies: Since the rabies virus is almost 100 percent fatal, any direct contact with a bat requires assuming the worst-case scenario and starting treatment immediately;

• Laboratory results: After in-depth laboratory analysis, the rabies virus was not detected in this bat (the result was negative), and it was confirmed that the woman's health was not at risk.