A health authority has warned anyone bitten or scratched by a bat to seek urgent medical assessment after 43 people were examined over a two-week period. New South Wales (NSW) Health in Australia assessed the individuals between September 28 and October 10.
Most of the incidents took place in coastal areas of the Hunter, Mid-North Coast, Northern NSW and The Central Coast.
Deadly virus risk
Director of Health Protection at NSW Health, Keira Glasgow, said people should assume that any bat could carry Australian bat lyssavirus. The virus is a close relative of the rabies virus and is very dangerous to humans.
Ms Glasgow advised that anyone who sees a bat that is injured or in distress should call their local wildlife rescue service and not touch it. Only trained, protected and vaccinated wildlife handlers should interact with the bats.
No effective treatment once symptoms start
She said it is very rare for Australian bat lyssavirus to transmit to humans. However, once symptoms start in people who are scratched or bitten by an infected bat, there is no effective treatment.
In 2025, an Australian man died after being bitten by a bat and developing Australian bat lyssavirus. This was the first recorded case of the virus.
