Bat tests positive for rabies

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency confirmed that another bat has tested positive for rabies.
Agency officials said the bat in question is the third to test positive since May; all reports have come from Branch County.
Health department officials said there was no human exposure with the latest case, though there was possibly pet exposure.
Earlier in the fall, an adult was exposed to a rabid bat and is currently undergoing treatment. The first bat tested positive in May and the exposure resulted in treatment.
Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the brain and nervous system and is transmitted through the bite of an infected animal or through the contamination of a fresh wound with saliva from an infected animal. Rabies is completely preventable if post-exposure shots are administered after contact with a rabid animal, the agency said.