The man dies after being bitten by the bat it carries

An Australian man has died of an “extremely rare” infection of rage transmitted by a bat bite, health officials said Thursday.

The man in his 50s was bitten by a bat with the Australian bat Lysssavirus several months ago, said the Health Service in Nueva Wales del Sur in a statement.

“While it is extremely rare to see a case of Lysssavirus Australian of Murciélago, there is no effective treatment for it,” said Keira Glasgow, director of Health Protection of NSW Health in the statement.

Glasgow said there were 118 people who required medical assistance after being bitten or scratched by bats in 2024, but this is the first confirmed case of the virus in Nueva Wales del Sur and the fourth case in Australia.

The north of Nueva de Nueva de del Sur, which has not been identified, was this week as a “critical condition” in the hospital.

The authorities said it was treated after the bite and that they were investigating to see if other exhibitions or factors played a role in their illness.

The virus, a close in relation to rage, which does not exist in Australia, is transmitted when bat saliva enters the human body through a bite or scratch.

The first symptoms may take days or years to appear.

The early signs of the disease are like influenza: a headache, fever and fatigue, said the health service. The victim’s condition deteriorates rapidly, which leads to paralysis, delirium, seizures and death.

There were only three previous cases of human infection with Australian Lisavirus of Murciélago since he first identified in 1996, all of them fatal.

The infection is “very closely related to rage”

People should avoid touching or driving bats, since any bat in Australia could lead to Lysssavirus, said the New Wales of the South Health.

He only warned that only wildlife managers who are trained, protected and vaccinated should interact with flying mammals.

“If you or someone you know is bitten or scratched by a bat, you must wash the wound thoroughly for 15 minutes immediately with soap and water and apply an antiseptic with antivirus action,” he said.

“Then, patients require treatment with immunoglobulin of rabies and rage vaccine.”

The virus has been found in species of flying Newses and microbats that eat insects, said NSW Health.

The species of bat involved in the last mortality has not been identified.

“The Australian Bat Lysavirus is closely related to rage and will cause death in susceptible people if they are infected and not treated quickly,” said James Gilkerson, an expert in infectious diseases at the University of Melbourne.

The virus was first identified in May 1996 by scientists from the National Science Agency CSIRO, who examined the brain fabric of a flying News that had been showing “nerve signs” in Nueva Wales del Sur.

Later that year, a batter in Queensland became ill.

“The initial numbness and the weakness suffered in its arm progressed towards coma and death,” said the scientific agency in an online document on the virus.

“Two additional cases in Queensland, a woman in 1998 and an eight -year -old boy in 2013, resulted in death after being bitten or scratched by a bat,” he said.

There are subtle differences between Lysssavirus in flying Newses and insectivorous bats, according to the scientific agency.

Infected bats can transmit the virus to people, other bats and other mammals.

Last year, at least three people died in North America after being bitten or exposed to a bat. In November, a California’s teacher died After he was bitten by a bat that presumably had anger inside his classroom.

In October, health officials in Canada announced that a Child died of rage After being exposed to a bat in his room.

Approximately a week before that, officials announced a American citizen died of rabies after being exposed to a bat in western Minnesota in July.

• Death
• Rage
• Australia