An Australian man died from a rare virus after being bitten by a bat

A man from the Australian state of New South Wales died from a rare bat-borne virus a few months after being bitten. This was reported on July 3 by the Australian news service 7NEWS.

As noted in the article, a man aged about 50 years was confirmed to have the first case of infection with Australian bat lissavirus (ABLV) in the state, a disease for which there is no effective treatment. He was in critical condition after the bite and later died in hospital.

"Although cases of Australian bat lissavirus infection are extremely rare, there is no effective treatment for it. <...> Infected bats can transmit the virus to humans when their saliva enters the body through a bite or scratch of a bat," the article clarifies.

It is noted that the lissavirus is close to the rabies virus. It is carried by flying foxes and other species of bats. The first symptoms of infection are similar to the flu — headache, fever, fatigue, but the disease rapidly turns into paralysis, delirium, convulsions and can lead to death within one to two weeks.

The article noted that the case in New South Wales was the fourth death from this virus in Australia since 1996.

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