El Paso County Public Health is urging people to avoid encounters with wildlife after a bat that had human contact Saturday tested positive for rabies on Tuesday.

The person who came into contact with the bat is receiving appropriate treatment, according to a news release.

Human exposure to rabies-infected animals is rare and to prevent exposure health officials advise avoiding contact with wild animals, teaching children about the dangers of wildlife encounters and keeping pets on a leash.

"Animals that are sick or injured should be reported to Colorado Parks and Wildlife," Bernadette Albanese, co-medical director of county Public Health, said in a news release. "The public should be particularly cautious in the summer months when people spend more time outdoors.”

Rabid animals can be

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