The Polk County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Section confirmed on Friday, July 27, 2018, the second positive Rabies case in Polk County for 2018.

On Sunday, July 8, 2018, a Winter Haven man found a bat at his residence on River Lake Road. He took the animal to a bat rehab center in Hillsborough County, where it bit an employee.

The bat was sent to the state lab for rabies testing, and on Thursday, July 26, 2018, the Florida Department of Health notified Animal Control that it tested positive for rabies.

The first Polk County case of rabies this year was May 31, 2018 in Lakeland.

Residents are reminded that bats are among the mammals considered to be high risk species or "rabies vector species" (RVS).Please do not approach any animal which is acting in an unusual or suspicious manner. If you think you or your pet has had an "exposure," please contact the PCSO Animal Control Section at 863.577.1762.