Rabid bat found in Irvine Regional Park is 2nd bat tested positive for virus in 1 week

ORANGE, Calif. (KABC) -- A bat in Orange County has tested positive for rabies for the second time in one week, health officials announced.

The most recent case was discovered Wednesday inside a bike rental shop at Irvine Regional Park in the city of Orange, according to a press release from the O.C. Health Care Agency.

Another bat found near a commercial building in Anaheim earlier this month also tested positive for the virus, which is found in an animal's saliva and is transmitted to people by a bite from a rabid animal.

In recent years, most cases of human rabies in the United States have been linked to strains found within bats, according to the agency. The disease is nearly always fatal once a person begins displaying symptoms of the virus, it added.

Health experts are urging anyone who may have had contact with the bat to reach out to the O.C. Health Care Agency at (714) 834-8180 or (714) 834-7792; and any pets that may have had contact should also see a veterinarian.