The Grand Traverse County Health Department (GTCHD) announced on Monday that a bat recently found inside a local residence had tested positive for rabies.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services had tested the bat for rabies “after possible human exposure.” Per a GTCHD press release, “all individuals identified as exposed” are now receiving “the necessary post-exposure medical care.”

Spread through bites or scratches from infected animals, rabies is a virus that the CDC describes as “deadly if people don’t receive medical care before symptoms start.” However, because the rabies virus needs to travel all the way to the brain before symptoms emerge, the virus has a lengthy incubation period during which it can be prevented. The CDC website notes that roughly 100,000 Americans are vaccinated against the virus each year, following potential or confirmed exposures. Comparatively, fewer than 10 deaths from the virus are reported each year in the United States, thanks to vaccination and prompt medical response.

To avoid rabies exposure, GTCHD recommends avoiding contact with wild animals, particularly those with higher likelihood of carrying the rabies virus, including bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. Other recommendations include keeping pets vaccinated against the virus, sealing openings in the home that might allow bats to gain entry, and never handling bats or other wild animals with bare hands.

In situations where people do find bats in their home, they are urged not to release the animal back into the wild, but to “safely contain the bat without directly handling it in any way and contact GTCHD at 231-995-6051 to discuss testing and possible exposure.” Those who believe they have been bitten or scratched by an animal, or who have had any contact with a bat, should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

According to the GTCHD press release, this bat is the 33rd in Michigan to have tested positive for rabies this year.