BE IT RESOLVED on this 30th day of October 1999, that researchers gathered at the 29th North American Symposium on Bat Research find no credible support for the hypothesis that undetected bites by bats are a significant factor in transmitting rabies to humans, as implied by the January 16, 1998 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

In our collective experience, bats seldom are aggressive, even when sick, and humans typically feel and recognize any bites they receive. The undetected bite hypothesis appears to be derived from the inability of medical professionals to interview patients due to late moribund or postmortem diagnoses. In the rare cases in which humans contract rabies from bats or other animals, the available evidence strongly suggests that bites were involved and could have been remembered had the patients been coherent. We are deeply concerned about the impacts and resulting negative consequences for bats stemming from the undetected bite hypothesis, which has apparently moved from theory to fact without adequate testing. The consequences are both economic and social. The economic costs are clear, and the social impact is seen, both in the way that people react to bats and in the way that conservation efforts are impeded. The undetected bite hypothesis is not supported by evidence, and it should not drive public policy nor public health responses.

We recognize the need for reasonable precautions against rabies, including vaccination of all who handle bats professionally, and public education that: 1) cautions never to handle bats or other animals; 2) warns to seek immediate medical evaluation of any actual or suspected animal bite; and 3) places risks in perspective with values.