Rabid bat discovered near UW Seattle campus; health officials warn of exposure risk

A rabid bat discovered near the University of Washington campus this week has drawn Seattle's public health community into a familiar but urgent vigil — one that reminds us how thin the boundary remains between the wild world and the spaces we inhabit together. Rabies, ancient and almost invariably fatal once it takes hold, demands a swiftness of response that runs counter to human instinct: to wait, to watch, to hope. Health officials are asking the campus community and city residents to resist that instinct, and to act the moment contact is suspected.