A bat found near Pinewood and Belleview roads in Rock Hill has tested positive for rabies, the South Carolina Department of Public Health announced Wednesday.
The state agency also confirmed a rabid bat in Greenville County, found near Bessie and North Flat Rock roads in Piedmont. One person was exposed to that bat and has been referred to a health care provider. Both bats were sent to the DPH laboratory Oct. 23 and confirmed rabid Oct. 26.
The Rock Hill bat is the eighth animal in York County to test positive for rabies this year, according to DPH, one shy of the nine cases the county recorded in all of 2025. The agency’s announcement also reported one pet exposure but did not say which county it occurred in.
Anyone who believes they, someone they know or a pet came into contact with either bat, or with any other animal that may have rabies, should call the DPH rabies prevention program. During business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, residents should contact their county Public Health office. After hours and on holidays, call 888.847.0902 and select option 2.
Bat bites are easy to miss
DPH Rabies Program Manager Terri McCollister said bats are capable of spreading the virus and that their bites often go unnoticed.
“People don’t always realize they or a pet have been bitten since bat teeth are tiny and bites are easy to overlook,” McCollister said.
For that reason, DPH advises treating a situation as a possible bite when someone wakes up to find a bat in a bedroom or tent, when a bat is found where children, pets or people with impaired mental capacity were left alone, or when someone has had direct contact with a bat.
McCollister said not every bat carries rabies. “Bats are an important part of South Carolina’s ecosystems and deserve a healthy degree of respect just like all wild animals,” she said.
What to do if you find a bat
DPH warns residents never to touch a bat or any wild or stray animal, living or dead, with bare hands. If a bat may have had contact with people, pets or livestock, it should be safely trapped in a sealed container without being touched. A bat that may have exposed a person or pet should never be released, because once it is gone, it cannot be tested.
There is no way to tell whether an animal has rabies by looking at it, and the disease can only be confirmed in a lab. Behavior that may point to a rabid bat includes flying during the day, being unable to fly, or turning up in unusual places such as inside a home or on a lawn.
DPH defines an exposure as contact between an infected animal’s saliva or brain and nervous system tissue and a person’s broken skin or the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth. Anyone who may have been exposed should wash the area right away with plenty of soap and water and seek medical care.
Statewide numbers
South Carolina has recorded 97 rabid animals so far in 2026. The Greenville County bat is the sixth positive case in that county this year. Since 2002, the state has averaged about 136 confirmed cases a year, and 2025 ended with 101, including 10 in Greenville County and nine in York County.
DPH said keeping pets current on rabies vaccinations remains one of the simplest and most effective ways to guard against the disease.
Contact information for county Public Health offices is available at dph.sc.gov/RabiesContacts. More information on rabies is available at dph.sc.gov/rabies and cdc.gov/rabies.
Source: South Carolina Department of Public Health news release, Oct. 28, 2026.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
