In December, a boy in Australia was bitten by a bat, and contracted Lyssavirus, a fatal disease for which there is no known cure.
Experts are now advising to execute monitoring of bats bites worldwide in light of this event in Australia.
The alert has been issued because there is now evidence that the virus' ability to become transmissable from human to human could become a reality.
Onset of the disease usually develops withing 2-3 weeks of infection. The Australian boy had not warned his parents of being bitten and he succumbed to the disease two months later, after falling into a coma.
Since the boy fell into a coma, doctors were unable to determine the cause of his illness for 10 days, after which they detected the Lyssavirus.
Although the boy was bitten in Australia, doctors are concerned that there is the possibility that the virus might become highly viral, and pose a threat worldwide.
Australian Bat Lyssa Virus is always fatal. Therefore better communication and information must be established so that the public knows of the risks that a bat bite, or even contact with the saliva and other infected tissue can pose.
The disease is also carried by flying foxes, although there only been a small number of cases recorded.
Other Lyssavirus strains are found in bats in both Europe and the US, and the same level of precaution and awareness should be observed in these countries.
Source: AFP 3.21.13
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