{"id":244775,"date":"2019-09-23T10:53:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T00:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=244775"},"modified":"2020-09-20T12:08:45","modified_gmt":"2020-09-20T02:08:45","slug":"dont-touch-a-dead-or-dying-bat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/09\/23\/dont-touch-a-dead-or-dying-bat\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Touch A Dead Or Dying Bat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Flying<\/a>
Bats throughout Australia have tested posted to ABLV\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

September 23, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The drought has been blamed for a sharp rise in the number of people coming into contact with dead or dying bats.<\/p>\n

There has been a 30 per cent rise in notifications to Queensland Health during the past 12 months of people who have been bitten or scratched by bats.<\/p>\n

Health authorities warn scratches and bites could expose people to the deadly Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV), a disease closely related to rabies.<\/p>\n

Biosecurity Queensland principal veterinarian Janine Barrett said bats were starving due to the dry conditions in south-east Queensland.<\/p>\n

This made the likelihood of contact with pets and people unusually high.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis spring-summer I anticipate we will see a high number of people and pets being potentially exposed to ABLV. Both starvation and heat-stress in bats make contact with a distressed bat more likely,\u201d Dr Barrett said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see a bat, dead or alive, on the ground, don\u2019t touch it. Only rabies-vaccinated people who are experienced in handling bats and using appropriate personal protective equipment (eg. specialised gloves) should rescue or examine a bat.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf a bat needs help, contact the RSPCA on 1300 ANIMAL (1300-264-625) or a local volunteer wildlife care organisation for help to safely collect a live bat.<\/p>\n

\u201cContact your local veterinarian if you suspect that your pet might have been bitten or scratched by a bat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Queensland Health spokesperson Dr Heidi Carroll, the Medical Director of the Communicable Diseases Branch, said there were about\u00a0 300 reported cases of potential exposure to ABLV in Queensland every year.<\/p>\n

This was due mainly to untrained people handling bats.<\/p>\n

“The message \u2018don\u2019t touch bats\u2019 isn\u2019t new advice, but it\u2019s important advice that people should take seriously,\u201d Dr Carroll said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people try to move a bat that appears to be dead or injured, that\u2019s when they are most likely to be scratched or bitten.<\/p>\n

\u201cScratches, bites and bat saliva into the eyes, nose or mouth are very serious and require immediate medical assessment to prevent the potential development of ABLV infection.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you are bitten or scratched by a bat or exposed to bat saliva:<\/strong><\/p>\n