CLEMSON — A bat found dead in a Clemson home this month tested positive for rabies, and a person who was asleep in the room may receive medical treatment as a result.

According to a news release issued Tuesday, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control referred the person to a private health care provider to discuss post-exposure treatment.

According to officials, there was no obvious evidence the person was bitten or scratched by the bat, which was found in the home on April 8. The animal tested positive for rabies on April 10.

“Rabid bats have been known to transmit the virus to humans and pets,” said Sandra Craig of DHEC’s Bureau of Environmental Health Services. “People — especially children — sometimes don’t realize they’ve been bitten, and it is very easy to overlook a bat bite because bat teeth are so tiny. If you find a bat in a room, a tent or a cabin where someone has been sleeping or where unattended children have been playing, always assume the bat has bitten the sleeping person or the unattended children.

Craig said people often incorrectly associate bats with rabies, which must be confirmed in a laboratory.

“Bats are an important part of South Carolina’s ecosystems and deserve a healthy degree of respect just like all wild animals,” Craig said. “You can’t tell that a bat, or any other animal, has rabies by simply looking at it.”

According to Craig, rabies warning signs in bats include daytime activity, inability to fly, approachability and location.

“Rabies should be suspected if bats are found in places they are not usually seen, like in your home or on your lawn,” she said. “If safe to do so, suspect bats found in homes should be captured and submitted for testing without delay. Never handle a bat or any wild or stray animal, alive or dead, with your bare hands.”

For more information on safely capturing a bat in your home, visit the CDC’s website at cdc.gov/rabies/bats/contact/capture.html.

“Wild animals contract the disease most often, but domestic pets can contract rabies as well,” Craig said. “To reduce the risk of getting rabies, we recommend that people avoid wild animals acting tame and tame animals acting wild. About 275 South Carolinians must undergo preventive treatment for rabies every year, with most exposures coming from bites or scratches by a rabid or suspected rabid animal.

“If you think you have been exposed to the rabies virus through a bite, scratch or the saliva of a possibly infected animal, immediately wash the affected area with plenty of soap and water. Be sure to get medical attention and report the incident to DHEC.”

There were 139 confirmed cases of rabies in animals in South Carolina during 2014. There have been 42 confirmed cases in animals statewide this year. The bat was the sixth animal to test positive in 2015 from Pickens County. There were eight animals that tested positive for rabies in the county in 2014.

DHEC-sponsored rabies vaccination clinics are now underway to protect pets from the deadly disease. Vaccination is the best way to help protect your pet and your family. To find a clinic near you, visit scdhec.gov/Health/DiseasesandConditions/InfectiousDiseases/InsectAnimalBorne/Rabies/Clinics/.

For more information on rabies, visit scdhec.gov/rabies, or contact your local DHEC BEHS office at http://www.scdhec.gov/HomeAndEnvironment/DHECLocations/.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s webpage about rabies and bats can be found at cdc.gov/rabies/bats/index.html.