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Qld boy ill with rabies-like bat virus

Date: February 15 2013

An eight-year-old Queensland boy is critically ill with a bat-borne virus that causes fits, paralysis and death.

It's only the third confirmed case of the rabies-like Australian bat lyssavirus recorded in the country.

The other two victims, both infected in Queensland, died.

It's assumed the north Queensland boy was bitten or scratched by a bat or a flying fox carrying the deadly virus.

It's believed he was infected about two months ago and a few weeks ago developed a brain infection that led to fits.

He's now so unwell he cannot give doctors any clues about how he came to be infected.

"We're not sure of the circumstances because the child is now too sick to tell us," Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young told reporters on Friday.

"He's critically unwell. The previous two cases did not survive and the vast majority of people who contract rabies overseas die, unfortunately."

The other two cases were recorded in 1996 and 1998.

Dr Young said the family was incredibly distressed given the prognosis for the boy.

The time from exposure to the virus to the development of symptoms is variable.

Of the two known human cases, one became ill several weeks after being bitten by a bat while the other became ill more than two years after a bat bite.

The virus causes paralysis, delirium and convulsions. Death is usually caused by respiratory paralysis.

It's theoretically possible that the virus could be passed from human to human but that is considered very unlikely.

And so far the boy's family has not shown any signs of symptoms but they've been given post-exposure drugs as a safeguard.

Dr Young said it's assumed any bat in Australia could carry the disease, and bat behaviour is not an accurate guide to infection.

She said the best protection against the virus was to avoid handling any bat or flying fox.

"Only people who have been trained in the care of bats, and who have been vaccinated against rabies, should ever handle bats or flying foxes," she said.

"It is important to also encourage young children to never handle bats, particularly if they should come across a sick or injured one."

Federal MP Bob Katter, who holds the north Queensland seat of Kennedy, says it's time to revisit the idea of culling bats.

The independent MP has long supported culling because bats spread disease, ruin farmers' crops and are a pest.

He says Premier Campbell Newman has broken a pre-election promise to do something about bat colonies that have invaded some Queensland towns.

"Clearly the Liberal National Party puts the welfare of bats over the lives of human beings," Mr Katter told reporters on Friday.

He said bat populations were out of control thanks to laws preventing farmers and others from killing them.



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