A bat found on a sidewalk in Orange has tested positive for rabies, prompting health officials to warn residents to avoid contact with wild animals and seek medical help if they may have been exposed.

The bat was discovered around 2 p.m. Oct. 16 on the west side of the\ 500 block of South Main Street, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.

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Officials urged anyone who touched the bat or saw someone else handle it to call the agency's Communicable Disease Control Division at 714-834-8180, which operates 24 hours a day.

Pet owners whose animals may have had contact with the bat should contact their veterinarian, officials said.

“Once a person begins showing signs and symptoms of rabies, the disease is near

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