Essential
- A man in his fifties died of Lyssavirus after being bitten by a bat.
- This very rare virus is transmitted by direct contact with the saliva of an infected bat.
- Currently, there is no treatment for this virus.
Several months after being bitten by a bat, a man in his fifties died of Lyssavirus. It is a very rare virus, for which there is no treatment. This week, the patient had been hospitalized in a “critical state“.
A virus close to that of rage
“This is a tragic situationsaid the New South Wales Health Service in the south-east of the country. The man was bitten by a bat several months ago and received care following his injury. A more in -depth investigation is underway to determine if other exhibitions or factors have played a role in his illness. ”
Lyssavirus is a family RNA virus Rhabdoviridae, Close to rage. The victim was contaminated by a bat during a bite. “” “Once the symptoms of Lyssavirus appear in people scratched or bitten by an infected bat, unfortunately there is no effective treatmentaccording to the health service of the Southern South Wales State, in the south-east of the country.
The incubation period can range from a few days to several years. At first, people contaminated by this virus generally suffer from headache, fever or fatigue. Then come the serious symptoms: paralysis, delirium, convulsions and death.
Disinfect the wound well in the event of a bat bite
“We know that 118 people had to undergo a medical assessment after being bitten or scratched by bats in 2024”, Specifies the health service of the Southern South Wales State, in the south-east of the country. This is the fourth case of human infection by the Lyssavirus of the Australian bat since its identification in a fox in 1996.
“Human infection by the Lyssavirus of the bat occurs by direct contact with the saliva of an infected bat, through bites, scratches or open skin openexplains Vinod Balasubramaniam, specialist in virology, in an article for The Conversation. It can also occur if our mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) are exposed to the bat saliva.”
To protect yourself, it is therefore necessary to avoid direct contact with the animal and, in case of bite, wash well and disinfect the wound, then quickly consult a doctor. “”The Lyssavirus of Australian bats (…) will cause death in vulnerable people if they are infected and are not quickly treated“, explained James Gilkerson, expert in infectious diseases at Melbourne University.
