Australia: 'No effective treatment': Man dies after bat bite
The fifty-year-old died from an "extremely rare" virus similar to rabies, transmitted by the animal. He had been bitten several months earlier.
This is the fourth case of human infection with Australian bat lyssavirus. Photo: Sipa/Newscom/Rafael Ben Ari
In an "exceptionally rare" event, a fifty-year-old man has died in Australia from a rabies-like virus transmitted by a bat bite, health officials announced Thursday.
"We express our sincere condolences to the family and friends" of the deceased "for their tragic loss," the health service of the state of New South Wales, in the south-east of the country, wrote in a statement .
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"Although it is extremely rare to see a case of Australian bat lyssavirus, there is no effective treatment for it," she added.
Bitten "several months ago"The Australian was bitten by one of these mammals, which carried the virus, "several months ago." He was hospitalized this week in "critical condition."
The virus, a relative of rabies that does not exist in Australia, is transmitted when bat saliva enters the human body through a bite or scratch. The first symptoms can take several days or even years to appear. They resemble those of the flu: headache, fever, and fatigue, according to health services. The victim's condition deteriorates rapidly, leading to paralysis, delirium, convulsions, and death.
Three previous cases of human infection with Australian bat lyssavirus have been recorded since its identification in 1996. Two of these cases, a woman in 1998 and an eight-year-old boy in 2013, "resulted in death," the Australian scientific research agency, CSIRO, said in a document published online. This is the first case in New South Wales.
“Australian bat lyssavirus is very closely related to rabies and will cause death in vulnerable people if they become infected and are not treated promptly,” said James Gilkerson, an infectious disease expert at the University of Melbourne.
Advice from Australian health authorities
People should avoid touching or handling bats, as all Australian bats can carry lyssavirus, the New South Wales Health Service has warned.
"If you or someone you know is bitten or scratched by a bat, you should wash the wound thoroughly for 15 minutes immediately with soap and water and apply an antiseptic with antiviral action," he said.
“Patients should then receive treatment with rabies immunoglobulin and the rabies vaccine.”
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