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| Take care when handling bats (and use gloves to minimise scratches) |
The Chief Veterinary
Officer of the Northern Territory, Dr Malcolm Anderson, announced that
Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABL) was detected in a fruit bat in Katherine in
September last month.
It is only the second time
ABL has been detected in the Territory (the first time was in 1997), although
it is considered endemic throughout the Australian bat population. In Australia
there have been three reported cases of ABL in humans, all fatal. Two cases
have been reported in horses.
He reminded everyone that anyone
handling or caring for bats should be vaccinated prior to exposure, and if you
are scratched or bitten wash the wound thoroughly for at least FIVE MINUTES
with soap and running water. Medical attention should then be sought
immediately.
In the event that bat
saliva contacts your mucous membranes (ie eyes, mouth, nose) flush the area
with water and seek attention.
Anyone with this sort of
contact should seek attention, whether vaccinated or not.
Finally, if the bat or bat’s
body can be contained without putting yourself in further danger, put this in a
box and contact the Centre for Disease Control or Department of Health in your
area as the bat can be tested.
Further information is
available here.
Meanwhile the Cat
Protection Society of New South Wales has released an information sheet, in
Chinese, about cat welfare and the benefits of desexing.
The project is the result
of collaboration with University of Sydney Medica and Communications students
Jiaying Zhou, Yunfei Qian and Xiaoqing Feng, and veterinarian Dr Eva Tang.
You can view and download
the sheet here.
