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Aussies who want to avoid contracting a deadly and untreatable virus should avoid touching bats that may have fallen out of trees.
The bats may be infected with lyssavirus, a deadly virus with no known cure and symptoms that include paralysis, delirium, convulsions and death.
Like rabies, which belongs to the same group of virus as the lyssavirus, both conditions are untreatable and can only be combatted with rapid treatment.
Lyssavirus spreads through bites or open wounds with those exposed to the virus urged to clean the area and get vaccinated immediately.
Experts are on high alert as bats across South East Queensland fall out of the sky from 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’s 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 preventive treatments like vaccines that are available if you have been exposed, but the key is getting that treatment as soon as possible to avoid symptoms developing.’
Bats in South East Queensland are falling out of the sky from 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 fears they could develop a deadly virus
Dr Carroll said it was important to teach children to never 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 said.
‘If you have antiseptic, apply that to the wound after you have washed it, but please see a doctor as soon as you can.’
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 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, grey-headed flying foxes and little red flying foxes in December 2020.
The root 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 has been urged to not touch it but instead contact the RSPCA or a local wildlife care group immediately.
