Orange County health officials are looking for people who may have come into contact with a bat at a park in Irvine that tested positive for rabies over the weekend. The bat was found Saturday on a picnic bench near a restroom at William Mason Regional Park, according to Orange County Health Care Agency officials. The virus is found in an animal’s saliva and is transmitted to people by a bite from a rabid animal, health officials said in a statement. Officials said once a person begins to show signs and symptoms of rabies, the disease is nearly always fatal. “For that reason preventive treatment to stop the rabies virus from causing illness is given to anyone who may have been exposed to rabies,” the statement read.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 20, 2017 20:13 UTC