Laura Horton, a 53-year-old personal trainer from Mossley Hill, Liverpool, received life-saving rabies treatment after being bitten by a bat while on holiday in Lesbos, Greece. The incident occurred in May during a two-week birthday trip when she found a bat drowning in a swimming pool at her friend's apartment complex. She picked up the animal and let it sit in her hand for 10 minutes to dry off, unaware it had bitten her.
Google Lens warning
Curious about the bat species, Horton used Google Lens to identify it. The AI tool identified the bat as a pipistrelle bat and warned her of rabies risks, noting that bat bites are often undetectable due to their small teeth. Upon closer inspection, she found two tiny pin-prick bite marks on her hand.
Horton said: "I had no idea you could catch rabies from a bat. I grabbed it from the water on instinct because it was drowning - I had no idea of the risks. It sat on my hand for about 10 minutes, drying off. We all thought it looked cute, so I took a photo of it."
Medical treatment
She visited the Hospital of Mytilene on May 8, where she began a course of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). After initial language barriers—staff tried to give her antibiotics—she received her first dose. She had three jabs in Greece (May 8, 11, and 15) and a fourth on June 1 at the School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool.
Horton added: "My GP didn't actually know what to do. Luckily, we have the School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool, and I was able to get my fourth injection arranged with them very easily. It was lucky Google Lens told me to go to hospital - who knows what might have happened."
Rabies awareness
According to the NHS, rabies is a rare but serious infection usually caught from an infected animal's bite or scratch, and it is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. In the UK, rabies is only found in some bats. Immediate medical attention is advised after any animal bite or scratch abroad, or bat contact in the UK.
Horton hopes her story raises awareness: "I read the tragic case about the boy in Canada who died after a bat landed on his face. A lot of people aren't aware of the dangers of these wild animals and the risks. Hopefully I can help raise awareness."
