Warning of the bat virus causing death

Infectious disease experts warn people around the world to stay away from bats after an 8-year-old boy in Australia has died after being bitten by bats, according to AFP on March 21.

He is the third person in Australia to die from lyssavirus , an Australian bat (ABLV) virus, which has no way to treat it.

Dr. Joshua Francis and Clare Nourse at Mater Children's Hospital in Brisbane (Australia) warned that it is very possible to spread the virus between people.

Bats carry a deadly virus

Dr. Francis said he was bitten by a bat during a holiday with his family in Queensland (Australia) in December 2012 but did not let his parents know.

Three weeks later, the boy had seizures, abdominal pain, fever, and brain problems.

After 10 days of hospitalization, the doctor discovered that the cause of the disease was lyssavirus. The patient suffered a coma and died on February 22, 2013.

Dr. Francis warned people to stay away from bats, not only because of the danger of contact with them but also because the virus can spread among people.

The ability of lyssavirus to spread from person to person has not been recorded, but theoretically it is possible, he said.

ABLV was first determined to be in Australian bats and flying foxes, although the case of humans infected with this virus is very rare.

Therefore, experts warned people to stay away from both bats and flying foxes.