A bat found in Lexington tested positive for rabies. 
No people are known to have been exposed but 2 dogs were near Robbie and Muddy Springs Roads. They will be quarantined as required in the SC Rabies Control Act.
The bat was tested by the Department of Health and Environmental Control laboratory April 26 and confirmed to have rabies on April 27.
If you believe that you, family members, or pets have come into contact with this bat or another animal that potentially has rabies, please call DHEC's Environmental Affairs Columbia office at (803) 896-0620 during normal business hours (8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday) or after hours and on holidays at (888) 847-0902 (Select Option 2). 

Immediately wash any part of your body that may have come into contact with saliva or neural tissue with plenty of soap and water and seek medical attention. 
Exposure is defined as a bite, scratch or contact with saliva or body fluids from an infected animal.
“Rabid bats have been known to transmit the rabies virus to people and pets,” said Terri McCollister, Rabies Program Team Leader. 
You may not realize you’ve been bitten as bat teeth are tiny and bites are easy to overlook. 
Because of this, you should assume you've potentially been bitten when:
• You wake up to find a bat in a room or tent.
• A bat is found where children, pets, or others with impaired mental capacity (intoxicated or mentally disabled) have been left unattended.
• You or a pet have been in direct contact with a bat.
 Never handle a bat or any wild or stray animal, alive or dead, with your bare hands. 
Any bat that could have had potential contact with people, pets, or livestock should be safely trapped in a sealed container and not touched. 
Never release a bat that has potentially exposed a person or pet. 
It must be tested for rabies.
You cannot tell if any animal has rabies by simply looking at it. 
Rabies must be confirmed in a laboratory. 
Unusual behavior in bats that might indicate it has rabies includes daytime activity, inability to fly, and being found where they are not usually seen, like in your home or on your lawn.
It is important to keep pets up to date on their rabies vaccination.
This is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect against the disease. 
This bat is the 2nd animal in  Lexington County to test positive for rabies in 2020. 
24 cases of rabid animals in SC were found this year. 
Since 2002, South Carolina has averaged about 148 positive cases a year. 
In 2020,  14 of the 168 confirmed rabies cases were in  Lexington County.
Contact information for your local Environmental Affairs Health Offices is available at www.scdhec.gov/EAoffices. For more information on rabies, visit www.scdhec.gov/rabies or www.cdc.gov/rabies.