Wellness Center Sees Increase in Squirrel Bites

The number of students coming into the Wellness Center with squirrel bites has been steadily increasing over the past few weeks, according to the Wellness Center. 

The Wellness Center posted a picture on Instagram Oct. 24 of a squirrel with its arms stretched out with the caption, “Me when I see someone feeding the squirrels.” The caption of the post urged students to stay away from feeding squirrels. 

Lanay Samuelson, nurse practitioner and the associate director for medical services, said this isn’t the first year the Wellness Center has encountered this issue. 

“It has been a handful of students,” Samuelson said. “We have had a student a week for the last few weeks come in, which is still a lot.” 

Samuelson said since squirrel bites are preventable, they shouldn’t be seeing any students come in with bites. 

So far, all the students who’ve come in have been feeding the squirrels, which provoked them to bite, according to Samuelson. She also said there was one instance of an unprovoked bite, but it didn’t occur this year. 

“There was one time where the squirrel had clearly gotten used to being fed by people and tried to grab food out of someone’s hand even though they were not intending to feed it,” Samuelson said. “That person was very surprised.” 

The main way to prevent getting bit is to avoid feeding the squirrels, according to Samuelson. She said it isn’t good for them to be fed by humans anyway, so staying away is mutually beneficial. 

Feeding squirrels on campus has become a habit for some, The Phoenix reported.

Prevention is an important step for keeping safe from animal bites, as they have health risks associated with them, according to Samuelson. 

“With any animal bite, squirrels included, the main concern is a conversation about rabies,” Samuelson said. “While we know that squirrels do not carry rabies, just generally speaking, they can potentially still be carriers.”

Samuelson said research shows humans aren’t contracting rabies from squirrels, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still happen. She also said soft tissue infections from squirrel bites are rare.

The Illinois Poison Control Center recommends washing a bite site with soap and water and seeking medical attention if a person suspects they’ve been exposed to rabies, according to their website.

Samuelson said the other main risk of any animal bite is infection. Hand bites are always considered moderate to severe risk because untreated infections in the area can cause nerve damage, so antibiotics are recommended. 

The Wellness Center has a standard procedure in place when a student comes in with an animal bite, according to Samuelson. 

“We don’t have to report the bite to animal control,” Samuelson said. “We would only have to do that if someone were to describe a squirrel that is behaving abnormally or erratically.” 

After the patient describes their symptoms and how they were bit, a nurse will begin the steps to properly address the specific type of wound, according to Samuelson. 

“Number one, we want that wound to be washed out with soap and water,” Samuelson said. “Then we can take a look at the wound and see if and how the skin is broken.” 

Samuelson said with any bite, no matter the animal, if the skin is broken, antibiotics will be prescribed to prevent infection. The Wellness Center will also check the patient’s tetanus vaccination status.

The patient will then be talked through how they can take care of their wound as it heals, and who they need to follow up with after they leave the Wellness Center, according to Samuelson. 

She said the main concern at this point is patients taking their antibiotics for the prescribed time and checking the wound for signs of infection. 

“The concern is always that any animal mouth is grossly contaminated, and we don’t know what kind of bacteria there might be,” Samuelson said. “There might be aerobic and anaerobic bacteria that both live in squirrels mouths, so it is important to make sure we cover for all types of bacteria.”

Samuelson said she wants people to be monitoring for signs of infection. This includes symptoms like redness, inflammation, changes in the appearance of tissue and fever. She said if someone does start to notice any of these symptoms, they need to seek immediate medical attention, whether that be back at the Wellness Center, urgent care or even the ER.