Urgent warning about deadly ‘bat virus’ in one Australian state
Aussies wanting to avoid contracting a deadly and untreatable virus should avoid touching bats that may have fallen from trees.
The bats may have been infected with lyssavirus, a deadly virus with no known cure and symptoms including paralysis, delirium, convulsions and death.
Like rabies, which belongs to the same virus group as the lyssavirus, both conditions are untreatable and can only be combated with prompt treatment.
Lyssavirus spreads through bites or open wounds, urging those exposed to the virus to clean the area and get vaccinated immediately.
Experts are on high alert as bats fall from the sky in South East Queensland due to a combination of flying fox paralysis syndrome (FFPS) and extreme heat.
The state’s chief health officer, Heidi Carroll, has urged Queenslanders never to touch bats, dead or alive, that have fallen to the ground.
‘It is important to remember that lyssavirus is fatal in humans and there is no known effective treatment once symptoms have started,’ Dr Carroll said.
“There are preventative treatments such as vaccines that are available if you have been exposed, but the key is to get that treatment as soon as possible to prevent symptoms from developing.”
Bats in South East Queensland are falling from the sky due to a combination of extreme heat and mysterious cases of Flying Fox Paralysis Syndrome (Photo: Flying Foxes in Queensland)
Queenslanders have been warned not to touch bats amid fears they could develop a deadly virus
Dr. Carroll said it’s important to teach children never to handle bats.
“If you think your child has been bitten or scratched, immediately wash the wound with soap and clean water for at least five minutes to reduce the risk of infection,” she said.
‘If you have an antiseptic, apply it to the wound after washing it, but see a doctor as soon as possible.’
There have been three human cases of bat lyssavirus infection reported in Australia.
One was in 1996, then another in 1998 and another in 2013. All three cases were in Queensland and all three people died from the infection.
FFPS is somewhat of a mystery to researchers who first discovered “unusual clusters of flaccid paralysis” among flying foxes, gray-headed flying foxes and small red flying foxes in December 2020.
The cause of the condition is unknown, but symptoms include paralysis, weak limbs, a protruding tongue, the inability to swallow or blink, and difficulty breathing.
Anyone who sees a bat on the ground is urged not to touch it, but instead to touch it the RSPCA or a local conservation group immediately.