The state Center for Disease Control is urging the public to take precautions to avoid contracting rabies.
The agency says bats, foxes, raccoons, and skunks are the most common animals that carry rabies in Maine. Last year, nine bats tested positive for the disease in the state. So far this year, six have tested positive.
Rabies is spread through bites as well as scratches, and state public health officials say that suspected exposures should also be taken seriously. Those include scenarios such as waking up with a bat in a bedroom, finding a bat in a room with an unaccompanied child or incapacitated adult, or finding a pet holding a bat in their mouth.
The CDC says possible exposures should be reported to your health care provider, and to the local warden service or animal control officer.
