If you wake up to a bat in your bedroom its very likely that you will turn into a vampire.

A vampire is described as an insomniac creature – awake at night – with a fear of water. Most notably holy water, but any running water is proposed to kill a vampire or prevent the dead from rising as one.

You might not be aware that you were bitten, because the bite might be smaller than you expect and you probably would not feel anything at all, at first!

However, within weeks or over the course of three months you may start to experience anxiety and confusion. It could just be paranoia, and perhaps you tell yourself, “I worry too much”, but then delirium and hallucinations set in. You start to act strangely, staying up all night and recoiling at the sight and sound of water.  Now you are turning, now it’s too late, because by this time, when you start to experience these symptoms there’s no cure for this sort of vampire disease.

Unfortunately for you, you will not live forever, but will suffer a most fatal demise, because there is no such thing as vampires. You have rabies!

Rabies is a viral disease, of the family Rhabdoviridae and genus Lyssavirus. It is transmitted from animals to humans, usually through the bite or scratch from a bat who is the leading cause of rabies in the United States, but also raccoons, foxes, skunks, and more, according to the CDC. Rabies virus is insidious, creeping into your central nervous system by traveling up the axon of neurons to the spinal cord and into your brain where it incubates for weeks or months. There it will cause inflammation of your brain while it multiplies – you’ll start to experience headaches, irritability, malaise, and sensitivity to sound and light, but don’t pull the blinds yet.  The virus spreads back into your body where it can be found in your saliva. Please don’t bite me, I’m only trying to warn you.  If you find it impossible to swallow water, know that your time is short. This soon will turn into paralysis, and you won’t be able to control your bodily functions as you slip into a coma.

Are you scared yet? Well don’t be. If you encounter a bat or and rabid animal, and could have been bitten, wash your wound with soap and water, and get to the doctor immediately for treatment. Anti-rabies serums, anti-tetanus procedures, and rabies vaccines can be administered to prevent the development of the disease. This must be done before the onset of clinical symptoms, as the best course of action is prevention, there is no effective treatment once the infection is established.