Chicago concert attendees may have been exposed to potentially rabid bats, health officials say

The Chicago Department of Public Health issued a warning that attendees of a recent outdoor concert at the popular Salt Shed music venue may have been exposed to rabies-carrying bats.

According to the CDPH, the “possible” exposure took place between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sept. 12 during the outdoor Goose concert at the venue, located at 1357 N. Elston Ave.

The CDPH noted in a release that bats in and around the Chicago area have been found to carry rabies, though not all of them do.

“If you attended the concert and were bitten or scratched by a bat, or if you had direct contact with a bat, contact a healthcare provider as soon as possible to discuss rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP),” the release said.

According to health officials, the exposure concerns are for anyone who attended the concert and may have been bitten or scratched by a bat, or if the bat came in physical contact with bare skin.

However, bat bites may be hard to detect, the CDPH said, stressing that bites may not be felt and may leave marks that are not easily seen due to the mammal’s small teeth.

The CPDH noted that if attendees did not come in contact with a bat during the concert, there was no cause for concern.

“If you attended the concert but did not have contact with a bat, then there are no further actions that you need to take,” the release said. “A bat flying above you is not a risk for rabies.”

Rabies is a disease that affects the nervous system of humans and other mammals, health officials said.

“People get rabies from the bite of an animal infected with the rabies virus (a rabid animal). Rabies in humans is almost always a fatal disease,” CDPH said. “Therefore, it is critical to provide prompt and appropriate rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after bat exposures take place.”

The Salt Shed did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment.