Bats
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training Lyssavirus 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training Lyssavirus In 1996, a new virus was discovered in Australian bats - identified as a lyssavirus, The new virus is a close relative to the common rabies virus found overseas. Research shows that some, but not all, infected bats have the virus in their saliva or salivary glands 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training History In May 1996 a black flying fox showing nervous signs was found near Ballina. Samples were sent to a Veterinary Laboratory in QLD for the Hendra virus. A fixed-tissue brain sample was also sent to Australian Animal Health Laboratory in VIC. 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training History The Hendra virus tests were negative, but the sample tested positive for rabies. Isolation and gene sequencing showed that it was a lyssavirus, which is closely related to common rabies. Australia's rabies-free status has not changed as a result of the Australian bat lyssavirus discovery. 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training Case study November 1996 A Queensland woman who had become a bat handler, became ill. She initially suffered numbness and weakness in her arm which progressed to coma and death. Samples confirmed that she had been infected with lyssavirus. 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training Case study December 1998 A woman from Mackay in North Queensland was also diagnosed with the disease and later died. She had been bitten by a bat more than two years earlier, before the infection was first identified in humans and before information about vaccination and bat handling precautions were circulated. 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training Case study January 2010 Three men received medical treatment after being bitten by a bat in central Queensland near Gladstone. In each case, the bat swooped from a tree and bit the men on the head. They may not necessarily have been infected but certainly there's a reasonable risk that they have been. 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training First Aid Management Australian health authorities suggest lyssavirus poses a low public health risk. However they strongly recommend that anyone scratched or bitten by a bat should immediately wash the affected area with soap and water and contact their local doctor. 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training Pets Health authorities advise that the risk of infection for pets bitten or exposed to a bat is very low. The risk of transmission of bat lyssavirus from a dog or cat to a person is very low, although there is theoretical risk of transmission. 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training Pre-Exposure Research at the United States' Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows the vaccine for classical rabies can protect against lyssavirus. A pre-exposure course of rabies vaccine should be taken by high-risk category people, such as: bat carers, vets and wildlife officers 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training Post Exposure There is also a post-exposure treatment course for people bitten or scratched by a bat which is suspected of being infected Antibodies are delivered at the site where the virus may have been introduced by the bite, and then there's a series of five vaccinations that are given over the following month. 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Hrbour Divisional training Post Exposure The treatment prevents the virus from travelling up and into the brain. 2-May-19 Coffs Hrbour Divisional training
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training Questions 2 May 2019 Coffs Harbour Divisional Training