NSW man dies from rare lyssavirus

A New South Wales man has died in the state’s first confirmed case of the rare Australian bat lyssavirus.
 
The man, aged in his 50s, had been in critical condition in hospital after he was bitten by a bat several months ago.
 
It is only the fourth confirmed case of the virus in Australia, with NSW Health saying it is ‘incredibly rare for the virus to transmit to humans’.
 
Authorities confirmed the man received treatment following his injury, with further investigations still underway to understand whether other exposures or factors played a role in his illness.
 
NSW Health Director in Health Protection Keira Glasgow described the man’s death as a ‘very tragic situation’.
 
She is now urging the community to avoid touching or handling bats, with lyssavirus transmitted from infected bats to humans when a virus in bat saliva enters the body through a bite or scratch. 
 
‘It is incredibly rare for the virus to transmit to humans, but once symptoms of lyssavirus start in people who are scratched or bitten by an infected bat, sadly there is no effective treatment,’ Ms Glasgow said.
 
‘If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, urgent medical assessment is crucial.
 
‘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.’
 
Australian bat lyssavirus is a close relative to the rabies virus and has been found in species of flying foxes, fruit bats and insect-eating ​microbats.
 
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