![\"Group](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/a9108077772f27bf778f88d7d4d8047e.jpeg\"\/)
Group of Bats haning in a barn roof. <\/p>\n
Getty<\/p>\n
Health officials have requested that anyone who may have touched the bat \u2014 or witnessed someone else in contact with the animal \u2014 should immediately notify the HCA Communicable Disease Control Division<\/a> to assess their risk of exposure. Pet owners whose animals may have come into contact with the bat are urged to contact their veterinarian.<\/p>\n As explained in the release, rabies is a viral disease spread through the saliva of infected animals, most commonly through bites. While human rabies cases are rare in the U.S., HCA notes that the most recent cases have been linked to bat strains of the virus. Because bats have tiny teeth, bites may go unnoticed.<\/p>\n Getty<\/p>\n “Once a person begins showing signs and symptoms of rabies, the disease is nearly always fatal,” per the release, adding that preventative treatment should be administered immediately after exposure. “This treatment is safe and effective.<\/p>\n PEOPLE reached out to the Health Care Agency for comment.<\/p>\n The Health Care Agency released another report in October stating that a\u00a0bat tested positive for rabies<\/a>. The infected animal was found near S. Main Street in Orange, Calif.<\/p>\n Per the HCA and OC Animal Care<\/a>, residents are reminded to avoid all contact with wild animals, keep cats and dogs up to date on rabies vaccinations, and never handle bats, including those that appear sick, injured, or dead.<\/p>\n![\"Millions](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/a8ad1f0a8a9636ff76156431b40eca2c.jpeg\"\/)
Millions of Mexican Free-tailed Bats, Tadarida brasiliensis, streaming out of breeding cave at dusk, Texas, USA. <\/p>\n