A NSW man is fighting for life months after being bitten by a bat, sparking a warning from authorities.
A NSW Health official today said the man in his 50s from the state’s north was in a critical condition in hospital with the state’s first confirmed case of Australian bat lyssavirus, a close relative to rabies.
“This is a very tragic situation,” director in health protection Keira Glasgow said.
“The man had been bitten by a bat several months ago and received treatment following the injury.
“Further investigation is underway to understand whether other exposures or factors played a role in his illness.”
It’s only the fourth confirmed case nationally of a virus Glasgow said was “incredibly rare” in humans.
But she called on people to leave handling bats to professionals and assume any bat could carry lyssavirus.
It has been found in species of flying foxes, fruit bats and insect-eating microbats.
Lyssavirus can be transmitted when the virus in a bat’s saliva enters through a bite or scratch.
“If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, urgent medical assessment is crucial,” Glasgow said.
“You will need to wash the wound thoroughly for 15 minutes right away with soap and water and apply an antiseptic with anti-virus action, such as betadine, and allow it to dry.
“You will then require treatment with rabies immunoglobulin and rabies vaccine.”
If symptoms develop, there’s no effective treatment, so authorities warn only trained, vaccinated handlers should touch bats.
Last year, 118 people in NSW sought treatment after bites or scratches.
