DHEC: Bat in Gaston tests positive for rabies, no known exposures

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says a bat found in Gaston tested positive for rabies. Officials say the bat was found near Towe Road and Fish Hatchery Road and submitted for rabies testing on September 27. The results came back positive the next day.

DHEC says no people or animals are known to be exposed to the bat at this time.

DHEC says you should never handle a bat, dead or alive, with your bare hands. Authorities say any bat that comes into contact with people or animals should be safely trapped without being touched.

“Rabid bats have been known to transmit the rabies virus,” said Terri McCollister, Rabies Program Team Leader.“People don’t always realize they or a pet have been bitten since bat teeth are tiny and bites are easy to overlook. Because of this, you should always assume a person or pet has potentially been bitten when:
•    They wake up to find a bat in a room or tent;
•    A bat is found where children, pets, or persons with impaired mental capacity (intoxicated or mentally disabled) have been left unattended; or
•    They have been in direct contact with a bat.”

DHEC defines contact as a bite, scratch or body fluid contact with an infected animal. DHEC adds that the only way to truly tell whether an animal is rabid is to take it in for testing.

If you believe your pet has been exposed to a rabid animal, DHEC urges you to contact DHEC’s Environmental Affairs Columbia office at 803-896-0620 during normal business hours (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday). To report a bite or exposure after these hours, call the DHEC after-hours service number at 888-847-0902.

For more information on rabies from DHEC, visit scdhec.gov/health/diseases-conditions/insect-or-animal-borne-disease/rabies.

Statewide, DHEC says there have been 74 reported rabid animal cases so far this year. This bat is the fifth animal to test positive in Lexington County this year, according to DHEC.