Attendees of the outdoor concert venue the Salt Shed might have been exposed to a bat during a Sept. 12 concert for the band Goose, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.

A Lake County man in his 80s who awoke to a bat on his neck in mid-August is the first person to have contracted the disease in Illinois in more than 65 years, according to state health officials. 

So far this year, nearly a dozen bats have tested positive for rabies in Cook and Will counties alone.

Pet owners should not panic, local health officials say, but take precautions after a rabid kitten was found in Carroll County.

Cook County Department of Public Health officials are reminding residents that bats become active this time of year, which means the possibility of exposure to rabies is increasing.

The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control is urging pet owners to vaccinate their cats, dogs and ferrets against rabies after two outdoor cats tested positive for the virus in Illinois and Missouri.

Six bats found in Cook County that were reported to local authorities this year, including three in Chicago, have tested positive for rabies, the Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control (CCDARC) said Thursday.