Two people and an animal were exposed to a rabid bat, making it the first human exposure to the disease in 2025, the McHenry County Department of Health said Friday.

A bat that was collected from a Cary home Thursday tested positive for rabies, according to a news release.

The residents found a bat in the room with them when they woke up in the middle of the night, the nealth department said. They are receiving rabies postexposure prophylaxis, the recommended treatment after rabies exposure, and the animal is getting follow-up care.

Although the health department said the bat exposure in Cary was the first time people have been exposed to rabies this year, the department reported an uptick in bat encounters earlier in August.

People might not notice bat bites and scratches because they can be very small. Potential exposures can include waking up to find a bat in the room or a bat discovered in the same room as a child, a person with cognitive disabilities or someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the health department said on social media in August.

“Rabies is a deadly virus, but it is preventable with timely medical care,” officials said in the news release Friday.

People who find a bat in their residence, encounter a bat or were in the same room as a bat while asleep should confine the bat to a room by closing the door and sealing any gaps at the base with a towel.

Bats that have been found in main living areas and where there has been a potential exposure to people and pets should be contained by placing an upside-down bucket over the bat, if possible, the department said.

Residents who find a bat in their house should call McHenry County Animal Control at 815-459-6222 to make arrangements to collect the bat and potential testing “following an exposure risk assessment by the MCDH’s communicable disease program,” according to the release.

Bats must be in good condition, with their heads intact, and either alive or recently killed, the health department said.

Bats can become more active in warmer months, officials said. Bats that are active during the day, are found in unusual places such as homes or are unable to fly are potentially rabid, according to the health department.

The department encouraged people to bat-proof their homes, sealing cracks, capping chimneys and replacing damaged or loose screens. Children should be educated to never touch or handle wild animals.

The health department also advises not to touch or feed wild animals, unintentionally attract them with open garbage cans or litter, bring wild animals into your home or try to nurse sick animals.

For more information about rabies prevention, people can visit the Illinois Department of Public Health’s webpage at dph.illinois.gov. Those with rabies exposure questions can call the health department’s communicable disease program at 815-334-4500.