Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
A Biosecurity Queensland laboratory test has confirmed a case of lyssavirus in a bat found in the state's far north as health authorities report a surge in flying fox bites and scratches.
Key points:
Biosecurity Queensland principal veterinary officer Janine Barrett confirmed this was the third infected bat discovered in 2020 following a single case of Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) last year.
"It's at the low end and the temptation is to think there's less of it around this year, but that's not really true," she said.
"The numbers, frankly, reflect far more about what people are doing — whether they're out and about where bats are, whether they're finding bats that should be tested."
Dr Barrett said the numbers of infections tended to fluctuate wildly, with as many as 20 cases detected in years when awareness campaigns were heavily promoted.
ABLV infection in humans causes a serious, rabies-like illness that can result in paralysis, delirium, convulsions and death.
Since 1996 three people have died in Queensland due to ABLV after they were bitten or scratched by bats.
Dr Barrett said access to vaccines and public health campaigns highlighting the dangers of handling bats had resulted in only one death over the past two decades — that of an eight-year-old boy from north Queensland in 2013.
"It's quite rare," she said.
Key points:
- ABLV can be fatal and has killed three people in Queensland since it was first discovered in the 1990s
- Health authorities say breeding season is driving an increase in the number of bat-related injuries
- Officials say the ABLV detection is a timely warning that only trained wildlife carers should handle any species of bat
Biosecurity Queensland principal veterinary officer Janine Barrett confirmed this was the third infected bat discovered in 2020 following a single case of Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) last year.
"It's at the low end and the temptation is to think there's less of it around this year, but that's not really true," she said.
"The numbers, frankly, reflect far more about what people are doing — whether they're out and about where bats are, whether they're finding bats that should be tested."
Dr Barrett said the numbers of infections tended to fluctuate wildly, with as many as 20 cases detected in years when awareness campaigns were heavily promoted.
ABLV infection in humans causes a serious, rabies-like illness that can result in paralysis, delirium, convulsions and death.
Since 1996 three people have died in Queensland due to ABLV after they were bitten or scratched by bats.
Dr Barrett said access to vaccines and public health campaigns highlighting the dangers of handling bats had resulted in only one death over the past two decades — that of an eight-year-old boy from north Queensland in 2013.
"It's quite rare," she said.