SYDNEY, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Residents of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) have been told to avoid contact with bats after a man who was bitten contracted a deadly virus.
The NSW Department of Health said on Wednesday that the man in his 50s is in critical condition in hospital with the state's first confirmed human case of Australian bat lyssavirus.
Australian bat lyssavirus is a virus closely related to rabies that affects the central nervous system and is transmitted to humans when saliva from an infected bat enters the body through a bite or scratch.
There have been three previous confirmed human cases of Australian bat lyssavirus in the northeastern state of Queensland between 1996 and 2012, all of which were fatal.
NSW Health Director in Health Protection Keira Glasgow said that the man from the state's north was bitten by a bat several months ago and received treatment following the injury.
She said in a statement that further investigation is underway to determine whether further exposure or factors played a role in his illness.
"It is incredibly rare for the virus to transmit to humans, but once symptoms of lyssavirus start in people who are scratched or bitten by an infected bat, sadly, there is no effective treatment," Glasgow said.
People have been advised to assume that any bat in Australia could carry lyssavirus and to avoid touching or handling bats.
Anyone who is bitten or scratched by a bat is advised to seek urgent medical attention, including treatment with rabies immunoglobulin and rabies vaccine. ■
