LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department released information about a rabid bat being found in a Lexington neighborhood. The department hung up flyers to alert residents in the Meadowthorpe area. They tell people to take certain precautions when it comes to animals and reminded residents to make sure pets are up to date with their rabies vaccination.

When these incidents happen, many misconceptions around bats arise.

Brigette Brouillard is with Second Chances Wildlife Center, an organization specializing in rescuing and rehabilitating bats. Through her organization, she also educates the public to dispel myths about bats.

“One misconception that the vast majority of people have, unless they have learned through appropriate education, is that bats have rabies, that all bats have rabies,” said Brouillard. “That is not true. You are more likely to go outside and get rabies from a stray dog bite.”

Bats are the leading cause of rabies deaths in people in the U.S., but most bats don’t have rabies, according to the CDC. Several sources say that less than 1% of bats have the disease.

Bill Abernathy with Kyote Wildlife Control says that on average he takes a couple of bats every year to the health department to get tested for rabies, but none have ever tested positive.

If you find that you have a bat or a colony of them in your home, Abernathy says, “Call a wildlife professional, like myself. They can go to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s website and there’s a list of everybody in the state that’s licensed to do this type of work, where they’re located, and their phone number.”

The health department says that if there is a possibility of human exposure, to call the Division of Environmental Health and Protection to ensure that the bat gets tested for rabies.