ROCK HILL, S.C. — A bat found near Woodfield and Hickory Ridge roads in Rock Hill has tested positive for rabies, and four people and two dogs were exposed to the animal, the South Carolina Department of Public Health announced Wednesday.
The four people have been referred to their healthcare providers. The two dogs will be quarantined under the requirements of the South Carolina Rabies Control Act.
The bat was submitted to the department’s laboratory for testing July 21 and confirmed positive July 22. It is the fifth animal in York County to test positive for rabies this year.
What residents should do
Anyone who believes they, a family member, or a pet came into contact with this bat or with another animal that may carry rabies is asked to call the department’s Columbia office at 803.896.4680 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. After hours and on holidays, the number is 888.847.0902, option 2.
State health officials say people should never handle a bat or any wild or stray animal with bare hands, whether the animal is alive or dead. A bat that may have had contact with people, pets, or livestock should be trapped in a sealed container and left untouched. Releasing the animal eliminates the chance to test it.
Bites are easy to miss, which is why officials treat certain situations as exposures even when no one recalls being bitten.
“Rabid bats have been known to transmit the rabies virus,” said Terri McCollister, rabies program manager for the Department of Public Health. “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 a person or pet should be assumed to have been bitten if someone wakes to find a bat in a room or tent, if a bat turns up where children, pets, or people with impaired mental capacity have been left unattended, or after any direct contact with a bat.
An exposure is defined as direct contact with saliva or with brain or nervous system tissue from an infected animal, including contact through broken skin or through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Officials say anyone in that situation should wash the area with soap and plenty of water and seek medical attention right away.
Not every bat carries the virus
Rabies cannot be identified by sight and must be confirmed in a laboratory. Behavior that may signal infection includes activity during daylight hours, an inability to fly, and turning up in places bats are not normally found, such as inside a house or on a lawn.
“Although bats can carry rabies, not every bat is infected with the virus,” McCollister said. “Bats are an important part of South Carolina’s ecosystems and deserve a healthy degree of respect just like all wild animals.”
Keeping pets current on rabies vaccination remains one of the simplest protections available, according to the department.
The wider picture
Statewide, 63 animals have tested positive for rabies in 2026. South Carolina has averaged roughly 136 confirmed cases a year since 2002. In 2025, the state confirmed 101 cases, nine of them in York County.
Contact information for local public health offices is posted at dph.sc.gov/RabiesContacts. Additional information on rabies is available at dph.sc.gov/rabies and cdc.gov/rabies. Animal bites and incidents can be reported through the county office listed on that page during business hours, or at 888.847.0902, option 2, on nights, weekends, and holidays.
Source: South Carolina Department of Public Health news release, July 22, 2026. DPH Media Relations, [email protected], 803.898.7769.
Sign up for our Sunday Spectator. Delivered to your inbox every Sunday, with all the news from the week.
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.
