FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 17, 2023

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has confirmed two positive rabies cases in animals in two different counties:

• A bat found near New Parrish Way and Dawn View Terrace in Mount Pleasant, S.C. has tested positive for rabies. No people or pets are known to have been exposed at this time.
• A fox found near S. Deerfield and Shine roads in Johnsonville, S.C. has also tested positive for rabies. No people are known to be exposed at this time. Two cats were exposed and will be quarantined as required in the South Carolina Rabies Control Act.

The Charleston County bat and Florence County fox were submitted to DHEC’s laboratory for testing on August 14, 2023, and were confirmed to have rabies on August 15, 2023. If you believe you, someone you know or your pets have come in contact with this Charleston County bat or Florence County fox or another animal that potentially has rabies, please call DHEC’s Public Health Charleston office at (843) 953-4713, or Florence office at (843) 661-4835 during normal business hours (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday) or after hours and on holidays at (888) 847-0902 (Select Option 2).

Never handle a bat or any wild or stray animal, alive or dead, with your bare hands. Any bat that could have had 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. Once a bat is released, it cannot be tested for rabies.

“Bats have tiny teeth and people don’t always realize they or a pet have been bitten,” said Terri McCollister, Rabies Program team leader.

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, tent or living spaces;
• 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.

“Although bats can carry rabies, not every bat is infected with the virus. Bats are an important part of South Carolina’s ecosystems and deserve a healthy degree of respect just like all wild animals,” McCollister said.

You cannot tell if a bat, or any other animal, has rabies by simply looking at it. Rabies must be confirmed in a laboratory. Unusual behavior in bats that might indicate the animal has rabies includes daytime activity, inability to fly and being found in places they are not usually seen, like in your home or on your lawn. An exposure is defined as direct contact (such as through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose or mouth) with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal. Be sure to immediately wash any part of your body that may have come in contact with saliva or neural tissue with plenty of soap and water and seek medical attention. It is important to keep pets up to date on their rabies vaccination, as this is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect against the disease.

If you see an animal in need, avoid touching it and contact someone trained in handling animals, such as your local animal control officer, wildlife control operator or a wildlife rehabilitator. Please report all animal bites, scratches and exposures to potentially rabid animals to DHEC.

There have been 45 cases of rabid animals statewide this year. The bat found in Charleston County is the third animal to test positive for rabies in that county. The fox found in Florence County is the third animal to test positive for rabies in that county. Since 2002, South Carolina has averaged approximately 148 positive cases a year. In 2022, three of the 83 confirmed rabies cases in South Carolina were in Charleston County and one was reported in Florence County.

Contact information for your local Public Health offices is available at https://scdhec.gov/RabiesContacts. For more information on rabies, visit scdhec.gov/rabies or cdc.gov/rabies.