Hundreds Potentially Exposed to Rabies at Grand Teton National Park Lodge

Health Officials in Wyoming are notifying hundreds of guests who stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge at Grand Teton National Park about a recently discovered bat colony, which may have exposed them to rabies.

An alert posted on the Grand Teton National Park’s page on the National Park Service (NPS) website states that the potential exposure occurred between May 5 and July 27.

The cabins have been unoccupied, with no plans to reopen, since July 27 when concessionaire Grand Teton Lodge Company discovered the bat problem, according to the Associated Press.

The bat colony was discovered in an attic space above guest rooms 516, 518, 520, 522, 524, 526, 528 and 530 at the Jackson Lake Lodge.

Since June 2, Grand Teton Lodge Company has received eight reports involving overnight guests who may have been exposed to bats in rooms at the lodge.

There were roughly 250 reservations through late July for the infected rooms, causing health officials to estimate that up to 500 people stayed in affected areas, the Associated Press reported. The lodge guests came from 38 states and seven countries.

So far, rabies has not been found in the small number of bats tested from the eight linked cabins, as of Friday, Aug. 15 — however, many bats have not been tested yet, and some were let out through cabin doors and windows, the Associated Press reports.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Grand Teton Lodge Company for comment.

State public health officials are reaching out to guests directly to assess if they had exposure to a bat while staying in the affected rooms and determine if they meet the risk criteria for receiving rabies preventive treatment.

“The whole reason we’re doing this outreach investigation is because we can’t rule out rabies with 100% confidence,” Wyoming state public health veterinarian Emily Curren told SFGATE. “We are reaching out to people to assess them individually under the sort of governing principle that rabies would be the worst-case scenario.” 

Saliva contact from a bat, a bite or a scratch from a bat, as well as any physical contact with a bat, can all be considered a potential exposure to rabies, according to the NPS.

“What we’re really concerned about is people who saw bats in their rooms and people who might have had direct contact with a bat,” Wyoming State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist said Friday, per the Associated Press.

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Contact Grand Teton Lodge Company at [email protected] or 307-543-3044 to determine if you stayed in one of the potentially affected rooms where bats were found. 

Individuals who meet the risk criteria for a rabies exposure will be connected with the appropriate provider in their home state for preventive treatment.