I work for a Level 1 children’s hospital in a metropolitan city that serves children from all over the U.S. Yesterday, as I exited the elevator in the NICU unit, I noticed a group of nurses loudly giggling and taking photos of a clear box. As we got closer, we saw that a bat was trapped under the box. The bat had entered the unit, and after some chasing, someone had managed to capture it beneath the box. I assumed they would take proper precautions, but about 10 minutes later, I witnessed a nurse trying to slip a piece of cardboard under the box. When I asked, “What are you doing?” she said she was planning to take it outside.

I questioned whether she was aware of the dangers posed by bats, especially in a crowded unit filled with newborns who are already sick. Remarkably, nobody had bothered to close the patient doors. I quickly placed a garbage can on top of the box and instructed her to leave the bat alone. I insisted she contact management and security, as this could potentially become a serious county issue, particularly in a NICU setting. I had to move on to other responsibilities, but I overheard a staff member calling for facilities to address the situation. At least they were taking some action, but it was concerning that none of them seemed aware of the dangers involved.

An update wasn’t provided until later in the afternoon (today), but at least the county health department is now investigating the matter. While the chance of the bat carrying rabies is low, the risk is too high to ignore, especially in a situation involving rabies. The entire staff treated this incident as a joke, and if I hadn’t been there to intervene, the bat could have escaped in the unit and potentially harmed a baby or a staff member. What if it had indeed bitten someone, and no one saw it happen? What if the bat carried rabies? Why weren’t the medical staff closing the sliding patient doors to protect the vulnerable babies?