Australians who want to avoid contracting a deadly and untreatable virus should avoid touching bats that may have fallen from trees.
Bats may be infected with lyssavirus, a deadly virus with no known cure and whose symptoms include paralysis, delirium, seizures and death.
Like rabies, which belongs to the same group of viruses as the lissavirus, both diseases are untreatable and can only be combated with rapid treatment.
Lyssavirus is transmitted through bites or open wounds and people exposed to the virus are urged to clean the area and get vaccinated immediately.
Experts are on high alert as bats across southeast Queensland fall from the sky due to a combination of flying fox paralysis syndrome (FFPS) and extreme heat.
The state’s chief health officer, Heidi Carroll, has urged Queenslanders to never touch bats, dead or alive, that have fallen to the ground.
“It is important to remember that lissavirus is fatal in humans and there is no known effective treatment once symptoms have begun,” 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 southeast Queensland are falling from the sky due to a combination of extreme heat and mysterious cases of flying fox paralysis syndrome (pictured, flying foxes in Queensland)
Queenslanders have been warned not to touch bats for fear they could develop a deadly virus.
Carroll said it was important to teach children never to handle bats.
“If you think your child may have been bitten or scratched, wash the wound immediately with soap and clean water for at least five minutes to reduce the risk of infection,” she recommended.
“If you have 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 one more in 2013. All three cases occurred in Queensland and all three people died from the infection.
FFPS is something of a mystery to researchers who first discovered “unusual clusters of flaccid paralysis” among flying foxes, gray-headed flying foxes, and little red flying foxes in December 2020.
The underlying cause of the condition is unknown, but symptoms include paralysis, weak limbs, protruding tongue, inability to swallow or blink, and difficulty breathing.
Anyone who sees a bat on the ground is urged not to touch it but to contact to the RSPCA or a local wildlife care group immediately.