CHICAGO - The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is alerting the public of a bat exposure at a large outdoor concert venue on September 12, 2024. Additional attendees may have been exposed. Bats in and around Chicago have been found to carry rabies, although not all bats carry rabies.

Possible exposure may have occurred on September 12, 2024, at the following location:

• Date: September 12, 2024
• Time: 5:00-10:00 pm
• Location: Goose concert at the Salt Shed, 1357 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Exposures of concern for rabies transmission by bats:

• If a bite or scratch from a bat has occurred
• If a bat has any physical contact with bare skin, in which a bite or scratch cannot be ruled out

NOTE: Bats have very small teeth. Therefore, a bite from a bat may not be felt and may leave marks that are not easily seen.

Immediate actions to take:

• 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). Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis consists of a dose of human rabies immune globulin and four doses of vaccine, which is highly effective in preventing rabies.
• If you attended the concert but did not have contact with a bat, then there are no further actions that you need to take. A bat flying above you is not a risk for rabies.

Exposure to bats may put someone at risk for rabies. Rabies is a disease that is caused by the rabies virus. It affects the nervous system of humans and other mammals. 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. Therefore, it is critical to provide prompt and appropriate rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after bat exposures take place.

For more information, visit the Illinois Department of Health or CDC websites.

###