What is Australian bat lyssavirus, and how worried should Australians be?

Between January and June 2021, Wildlife Health Australia 27 Australia Bat Lyssavirus cases reported in bats throughout Australia, 14 were in Queensland, Nine NSW, and each in South Australia and Victoria. In June 2023, Wildlife Health AustraliaSince 1995, there were 407 Australian Bat Lyssavirus cases reported in bats in Australia.

NSW Health Health Protection Director Keira Glasgow said on Wednesday that people should assume that any bat in Australia could carry Australia Bat Lyssavirus. This includes flying foxes, other fruit bats and insect -eating microbats.

How can Australia Bat Lyssavirus be transferred to people?

A bite or scratch from an infected bat, like rabies, is how the Australian Bat Lyssavirus is infected with people. In addition, an infected animal can be transmitted by eye, nose or other exposure to the saliva of an infected animal. Therefore, Glasgow said that only educated and vaccinated wildlife workers should manage the bats and NSW Health generally advises advice To avoid taking any wild or domestic mammals living in land in countries with risk of rabies virus.

NSW Health advises everyone who is trapped on the ground to not try to save a bat, wounded or not trying to save it. Instead, people should seek educated experts of wires in 1300 094 737 or local wildlife groups.

What do Lyssavirus do to people and what are the symptoms?

Australia Bat Lyssavirus affects the central nervous system, early symptoms are defined as flu, including headache, fever and fatigue. Eventually, the disease proceeds for convulsions and paralysis with delirium. Death usually comes to present symptoms within two weeks.

According to NSW Health, the Australian Bat Lyssavirus’ previous three human cases had wide variability when it came to incubation periods, because some lasted for several days, some took a few years for symptoms to emerge.

How different from Hendra Bat virus?

Rabies and Australia, such as Bat Lyssavirus, do not have treatment, medical treatment or human vaccine for Hendra virus, which is a rare disease transferred from an infected horse to people, there are very few human cases in Australia. Since 2012, there was a vaccine for horses.

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The Hendra virus, which is believed to be transferred from the foxes flying through stools or saliva to horses, is not the same as the horses flu.

In addition, it is believed that the Hendra virus is not transmitted directly from foxes that fly directly to humans through human contact with body fluids. Hendra virus transmission from human to person has not been reported.

Should Australians worried about Lyssavirus?

A lucky aspect of Australia Bat Lyssavirus is so closely related to rabies is that rabies prevention measures can effectively protect people from Australian Bat Lyssavirus when symptoms are detected early.

Glasgow, “the transfer of the virus to people is incredibly rare, but when the symptoms of Lyssavirus start in people who are drawn or bitten by an infected bat, unfortunately, there is no effective treatment,” Glasgow said. “If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, emergency medical evaluation is very important.”

NSW Health said that in 2024, 118 people required medical evaluation after being bitten or scratched by bats. The man who died this week was treated a few months before he was bitten by a bat. Glasgow said, önemli To understand whether other exposures or factors play a role in the disease ”, he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Alison Peel, a veterinarian and wild life disease at the University of Sydney, said that there was no time for panic or “persecution bats” because they are necessary for our ecosystems.