Notification of Rabies Positive Animals
DPH investigates all animal bite reports and considers each a potential exposure until proven otherwise. State law requires that all wild and domestic animal bites be reported to your local DPH office by the end of the next working day. While rabies is a deadly disease, human rabies cases are rare, with only a few reported each year in the U.S.
The following animals tested positive for rabies from October 12 - October 18, 2025:
In South Carolina, rabies is most often found in wildlife such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but pets are just as susceptible to the virus. Never handle a bat or any wild or stray animal, alive or dead, with your bare hands. Contact someone trained in handling animals, such as your local animal control officer, wildlife control officer, or a wildlife rehabilitator. 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. Once a bat is released, it cannot be tested for rabies.
An animal bite is an exposure that 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.
Bat bites are small and can easily be overlooked. 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.
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.
Past Confirmed Rabies Cases by County
See how many rabies cases were confirmed in your county and the types of animals infected in these yearly DPH laboratory reports.