A 50-year-old died in Australia of an “extremely rare” virus similar to rage, transmitted by a bat bite, the health authorities announced on Thursday.
“We express our sincere condolences to family and friends” of the deceased “for their tragic loss”, wrote the health service of the state of New South Wales, in the south-east of the country, in a press release.
“Although it is extremely rare to see a case of Lyssavirus of Australian bats, there is no effective treatment against it,” she added.
The Australian was bitten by one of these mammals, carrying the virus several months ago. He had been hospitalized this week in a “critical state”.
The virus, close to the rage which does not exist in Australia, is transmitted when the saliva of a bat enters the human body through a bite or a scratch.
The first symptoms can take several days or even years to appear. They look like those of the flu: headache, fever and fatigue, depending on health services. The victim’s state deteriorates quickly, causing paralysis, delirium, convulsions and death.
Three previous cases of human infection by the Lyssavirus of the Australian bat have been identified since its identification in 1996.
Two of these cases, that of a woman in 1998 and an eight -year -old boy in 2013, “resulted in death,” said the Australian organization for scientific research, the CSIRO, in a document published online.
“The Lyssavirus of Australian bats is very closely linked to rage and will cause death in vulnerable people if they are infected and are not treated quickly,” said James Gilkerson, expert in infectious diseases at the University of Melbourne.
People should avoid touching or manipulating bats, as all Australian specimens can carry Lyssavirus, warned the health service of South Wales.
“If you or someone you know are bitten or scratched by a bat, you should wash the wound carefully for 15 minutes immediately with soap and water and apply an antiseptic with an antiviral action,” he said.
“Patients should then receive treatment with anti -rabic immunoglobulins and the rabies vaccine.”
Posted on July 3 at 9:24 am, AFP
