Mass Bat Exposure Among Persons Lodging at Grand Teton National Park —Wyoming, 2025
- Presentation Day/Time: Wednesday, April 22, 10:05 AM
- Presenter: Ozair Naqvi, PhD, MS, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology
The Issue
- In July 2025, a mass bat exposure event was identified at a lodge in Grand Teton National Park. There were more than 256 guests who may have been exposed to bats during a 3-month period.
What We Did
- CDC supported the Wyoming Department of Health and National Park Service in coordinating rabies risk assessments across 38 states and six countries, recommending appropriate rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), and summarizing historical bat encounter reports.
What We Found
- Thirteen people were considered medium/high risk exposures and were recommended to get rabies PEP. Most of them had seen bats flying in their guest rooms. Historical bat encounter reports in the Park increased 3-fold from 2020 to 2025, with most encounters occurring indoors.
What This Means
- This mass bat exposure event underscores the challenges national parks face in managing wildlife intrusion into historic structures, where preventing entry can be complex. The coordinated response demonstrated a collaborative approach that can guide future mass bat exposure event responses as well as surveillance and prevention measures.
