Bats threaten a city in Australia

Hundreds of thousands of bats suddenly appeared in a city in northern Australia, causing officials to fear the risk of outbreaks.

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More than 250,000 fruit-eating bats are gathering in the northern city of Katherine. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warned people in Katherine city to stay away from fruit-eating bats because they brought a virus closely related to the rabies virus. The virus can be transmitted to humans if the bat bites or scratches, the BBC reported.

Fruit red bats are also called "flying foxes" in Australia.

Red fruit bats came to the city of Katherine since the end of February. In recent days their numbers have begun to decline, but a large number of bats still inhabit the suburbs of the city.

John Burke, an official of the wildlife protection force, said it is possible that native flora, the destruction of bat habitats or climate change are the causes of fruit bats. Spill over to Katherine city.

'Many exotic plants in the city bloom and bear fruit all year round. That's an attractive prospect for fruit bats , 'Burke explained.

Vicki Krause, director of the CDC, said the saliva of bats contains viruses. Some patients died of bat-induced disease, but such cases are rare. The government has vaccines to prevent the disease.

'If bitten by bats, people should thoroughly wash their wounds and treat them with medicine as soon as possible. Vaccines only work if they are used immediately after bats bite, ' Dr. Krause said.

Experts say the fruit-eating boom of the red bat in the city of Katherine only happens two to three times in every decade.