A Reminder About Bats And Lyssavirus

[j]

Please read the below story. Many people are unaware of the dangers of this disease which is carried in the bat population. Handling of bats can result in a scratch or bite, which is enough to transfer the virus. Wildlife carers need to be especially careful and ensure they are vaccinated against lyssavirus.

http://www.news.com.au/national/child-in-brisbane-hospital-critically-ill-with-australian-bat-lyssavirus/story-fndo4ckr-1226578604971

Child in Brisbane hospital critically ill with Australian bat lyssavirus by:

Rob Kidd From:

The Courier-Mail February 15, 2013

A child is critically ill after being diagnosed with Australian bat lyssavirus. Picture: File Source: The Courier-Mail

AN 8-year-old boy is in a critical condition after being diagnosed with the deadly Australian Bat Lyssavirus.

Queensland Health Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young confirmed the boy, from an undisclosed location in North Queensland, was in a coma in intensive care but stable, in a Brisbane hospital.

It is only the third confirmed case of ABLV in Australian history.

Since November 1996, two people have died as a result of ABLV infection after being bitten by bats, both in Queensland, both in the 1990s.

Dr Young said the virus was closely related but not identical to rabies.

She said the boy was bitten or scratched by a bat or flying fox about two and a half months ago and developed symptoms of a "brain infection," including fits, around three weeks ago. He had been assessed and diagnosed over the past three weeks.

"We're not sure of the circumstances because the child is now too sick to tell us,'' she said.

"He's critically unwell, the previous two cases did not survive and the vast majority of people who contract rabies overseas die unfortunately.''

She warned it should be "assumed any bat in Australia could potentially carry the disease" and the time period before symptoms were shown "varies enormously.''

"There is nothing here of any benefit to anyone to know where (in north Queensland) this occurred.

"In fact I think it would be harmful because it doesn't matter where people get scratched in Queensland or indeed most of Australia, they need to take the same precautions and get the same advice,'' Dr Young said.

"We do know there have been cases of rabies, and indeed one case of Australian Bat Lyssavirus, that years later has led to disease, so anyone who didn't seek advice at the time they were bitten or scratched should now seek advice.

"Any bat, anywhere, whether in captivity, whether in the wild, you should not approach a bat, they shouldn't be handled. They're of no risk otherwise.

"They're only a risk to humans when they scratch or bite a human."

Anyone bitten or scratched should thoroughly clean the wound with soap and water for at least five minutes before applying an antiseptic if available.

It was theoretical, but highly unlikely, the disease could be passed from human to human, Dr Young said.

The boy's family and siblings had shown no symptoms and were "well at this time."

"This is a terribly difficult and distressing time for the family concerned, and I would ask everyone to respect their privacy at this time."

[Kirislin]

do you know if it's just fruit bats or are the micro bats also carriers?

[Dame Aussie]

How horrible I'm always careful around bats, we get quite a few in the yard because of the fruit trees.

[Jumabaar]

do you know if it's just fruit bats or are the micro bats also carriers?

Both.

I cared for bats for quite a while so had the rabies shots as a preventative. Feel so sorry for the boy and his family- particularly because you can have post exposure vaccination after a bite or scratch but guessing the parents didn't know he had come into contact with a bat.

I always recommend calling a wildlife agency rather than touching a bat but its surprising how many people dont know the risk.

[mita]

The CSIRO says that a classic rabies vaccine can protect against the Lyssavirus... but only if the person's been vaccinated before exposure.

http://www.csiro.au/en/Organisation-Structure/Divisions/Animal-Food-and-Health-Sciences/Infectious-diseases-overview/Australian-bat-lyssavirus.aspx

[Dame Aussie]

Isn't the rabies vaccine dangerous if you don't have rabies already? Or is that some urban myth I read somewhere? :laugh:

Edited February 15, 2013 by Aussie3

[mita]

Doesn't seem so, Aussie. No mention of that by CSIRO. They just say:

A pre-exposure course of rabies vaccine should be taken by high-risk category people, such as:

bat carers

veterinarians

wildlife officers.

[AussieDog]

My naughty cat brought a (live) bat home this morning. Talk about a traumatic experiance (for me). Managed to get the little bat into a container, take it out the front and thankfully it flew away. I completely forgot about the risks but because i was a wimp didn't go anywhere near it or touch it.

I'm a little worried about what affect (if any) it might have with the cat and/or dogs. All i can find is "low risk". Spoke to the Vet and DSE as well.

Cat is now getting locked in the bathroom overnight. She is always bringing me home presents.

[Kirislin]

My naughty cat brought a (live) bat home this morning. Talk about a traumatic experiance (for me). Managed to get the little bat into a container, take it out the front and thankfully it flew away. I completely forgot about the risks but because i was a wimp didn't go anywhere near it or touch it.

I'm a little worried about what affect (if any) it might have with the cat and/or dogs. All i can find is "low risk". Spoke to the Vet and DSE as well.

Cat is now getting locked in the bathroom overnight. She is always bringing me home presents.

this concerns me too. I have a friend with a cat who catches bats and brings them in the house.

[mita]

I have a friend with a cat who catches bats and brings them in the house.

The Victorian Dpt of Sustainability & the Environment says no record of a cat acquiring the virus from catching a flying-fox.

But that's no comfort if a pet cat come inside (as they do) & drops the bat on a human foot. And horribly stressful & dangerous to try to wrangle it outside.

Is there a health risk to my dog or cat if it catches a flying-fox?

Occasionally, cats and dogs catch flying-foxes and some people have expressed concern that their pet could contract Lyssavirus. No cat or dog has ever been recorded as having contracted Lyssavirus from a flying-fox. The best available evidence suggests that there is no need to vaccinate pets against Lyssavirus.

One dog from Queensland has been found to have Hendra virus. It is thought that the infection was probably passed to the dog from an infected horse, not from a flying-fox.

[Kirislin]

her cat catches the little micro bats, not flying foxes.

[mita]

her cat catches the little micro bats, not flying foxes.

Bats, megabats, fruit bats and flying foxes – it's all the same animal. Do micro bats belong to the same family & equally carry the Lyssavirus? A cat could so easily wrangle a micro bat & bring it inside. A real worry.

Seems they do. NSW Dpt of Health:

In Australia, only bats have been found to carry Australian bat lyssavirus - both the larger flying foxes (or fruit bats) and the smaller insectivorous (or micro) bats.

Edited February 15, 2013 by mita

[RiverStar-Aura]

I'm laughing over the comments. Such an uproar about the bats needing culling and the government doing nothing. Why the panic? This is only the 3rd reported case of the virus so it's obviously not all that common.

I do feel sorry for the boy's family, but he was bitten/scratched two and a half months ago -- it should've been treated by a doctor at time of injury.

[sandgrubber]

1360907768[/url]' post='6124293']

Isn't the rabies vaccine dangerous if you don't have rabies already? Or is that some urban myth I read somewhere? :laugh:

In most states in the USA you're required by law to vaccinate your dogs against rabies. I've never seen anything written to say the vaccine used for humans can be harmful. It is recommended for people working with animals in areas with known problems with rabies. The post exposure treatment used to be painful. I think it involved a large needle to the stomach, but am not sure. I think they now have a less drastic shot available.

[sandgrubber]

1360925555[/url]' post='6124655']

1360923981[/url]' post='6124623']

her cat catches the little micro bats, not flying foxes.

Bats, megabats, fruit bats and flying foxes – it's all the same animal. Do micro bats belong to the same family & equally carry the Lyssavirus? A cat could so easily wrangle a micro bat & bring it inside. A real worry.

Seems they do. NSW Dpt of Health:

In Australia, only bats have been found to carry Australian bat lyssavirus - both the larger flying foxes (or fruit bats) and the smaller insectivorous (or micro) bats.

Bats, ie Chiroptera, all belong to the same Order. It is the largest order, in terms of number of species, in the Mammalia. There are 18 families in the Chiroptera. I somehow doubt that anyone has studied if all 18 families and 200+ genera of bats can get the virus...better to be safe than sorry.I'd say the bigger worry is that some rabid bat will fly to the Top End from the Indonesian archipelago ... Because many bats live in colonies, they can spread a saliva borne disease quite rapidly among themselves...and most, if not all, mammals can get rabies.

Edited February 15, 2013 by sandgrubber

[Jumabaar]

Rabies vaccination can be given as a preventative- for memory it wasnt even that painful

Rabies vaccination and immunoglobulins is given post exposure with a bat bite/scratch and the bat should be sent of for testing for Lyssavirus.

OT

Just a question for anyone who is a breeder on here or a vet nurse- have you been vaccinated for Q fever?

[Cody]

What on earth was the boy doing to be bitten or scratched by a bat?

[dancinbcs]

Rabies vaccination can be given as a preventative- for memory it wasnt even that painful

Rabies vaccination and immunoglobulins is given post exposure with a bat bite/scratch and the bat should be sent of for testing for Lyssavirus.

OT

Just a question for anyone who is a breeder on here or a vet nurse- have you been vaccinated for Q fever?

Maybe you should start a new thread in the breeder's section about Q fever. I always thought it was only a risk from cattle until two vet nurses I know got it in recent years from assisting in a ceasar on a cat. They took forever to get over it. To track down which case it came from the vets rang everyone who had had a dog or cat in for a caesar during the previous few weeks. Now all the staff are vaccinated. Previously it was only thought to be a risk in rural practices.

[Rosetta]

What on earth was the boy doing to be bitten or scratched by a bat?

And why on earth cannot the public be told where it occurred? Why the secrecy?

[tdierikx]

I rescued a baby fruit bat from it's dead mother when I was in my teens and living up near Murwillumbah... kept it in a tea chest in my bedroom for a while... *grin*... note - don't try to mount a horse while holding a squawking baby fruit bat - the horse won't like it much... lol!

Kids will do all sorts of strange things - I was notorious for bringing home all sorts of animals - snakes, the fruit bat, an octopus, a rabbit, baby swallows, a galah, pigeons, seagulls, etc. At one stage I shared my room with 2 carpet snakes, the fruit bat, a rabbit, and a budgie - all loose and coexisting just fine. Drove my mother nuts! I was jealous when one of my friends found a Puggle (baby Echidna) and raised it to an age it could be taken to the wildlife sanctuary.

I hope the little boy recovers well.

T.