By Susan P Smith | Project Manager
The flying fox and microbat communities suffered a most devastating situation in July when the fourth person in Australia died of Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV), the first to die in New South Wales. ABLV is a rabies-like infection transmitted by a bite or a scratch from an infected bat to humans. In October of 2024, a 50+ year old man was bitten by a bat while trying to move said bat off of his father's balcony. He was bitten by the bat in the process. It is understood that he went to the local yet rural hospital the same day the bite occurred. The local hospital did not have the required vaccination nor immunoglobulin injection to treat the man. He was told to come back the next day as the hospital was able to source it from a Sydney hospital and it would be couriered overnight. The next day he returned to the hospital and received treatment.
According to a NSW Health article dated 2 July 2025 (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/20250702_01.aspx), “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.” There is still speculation about which forms of treatment the 50+ year old man received, i.e. the immunoglbulin injection and/or the 4 doses of rabies vaccination according to a NSW Government update on Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV.) (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Documents/ablv-clinician-alert-july25.pdf)
Eight months later, the man developed symptoms of ABLV, was hospitalised and eventually died of the disease. NSW Health Director in Health Protection, Keira Glasgow stated, ‘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." “This is a very tragic situation. 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,” Ms Glasgow said. “We know 118 people required medical assessment after being bitten or scratched by bats in 2024, but this is the first confirmed case of the virus in NSW, and the fourth case in Australia." (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Documents/ablv-clinician-alert-july25.pdf)
The result of this most devastating situation is the extraordinarily easy rules to follow to prevent it from ever happening again. NEVER touch or pick up a bat, megabat or microbat. NEVER. Call your local wildlife rescue organisation to rescue the bat. In Sydney, Australia, there is Sydney Wildlife Rescue on 02 9413 4300 or WIRES on 1300 094 737.
By Susan Smith | Project Manager
By Susan Parrish Smith | Project Leader
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