Aussie father-of-two who DIED after catching a horrific virus when he was bitten by a bat is identified - as horror new details emerge
Craig Nolte, 56, tried to free the bat - which had flown into the verandah of his Ballina home and gotten trapped - when he was bitten in October last year.
The carpenter by trade contracted the Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) from the bite, which marked the first case of the virus in NSW.
His wife Robyn, who operates a childcare centre in Ballina, confirmed he received a prophylaxis immunoglobulin injection after he was bitten by the animal.
'NSW Health [is] still grappling in their words [about] how this happened that the injection didn't work,' she wrote in a post to social media on Wednesday.
'RIP my love my best friend.'
NSW Health confirmed he received initial treatment but later developed symptoms and fell into a critical condition.
On Wednesday, it offered its 'sincere condolences' to friends and family and said an investigation was underway into the circumstances surrounding his illness.
'Post-exposure prophylaxis for lyssavirus exposure includes both immunoglobulin and at least four vaccines given over several weeks,' it said.
'The treatment is very safe and has been proven worldwide to be highly effective.'
More to come.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Huge '$25 cap' cost of living change to help millions of Aussies pay for an everyday staple
Australians will pay no more than $25 for selected medicines for the first time in more than 20 years under a proposal to be brought before parliament. It will be the second cap on medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) introduced by the Albanese government in three years, after it cut the maximum price of PBS prescriptions from $42.50 to $30. 'The size of your bank balance shouldn't determine the quality of your health care,' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. 'My government will continue to deliver cost-of-living relief for all Australians.' PBS medicines would be capped at $7.70 for pensioners and concession card holders until 2030. The bill's introduction is largely a formality, with its passage through the lower house all but assured thanks to Labor's massive 94-seat majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives. The election promise is the Albanese government's next priority after it introduced childcare safety and HECS debt reduction legislation. Federal Labor has been talking up plans to strengthen the PBS amid concerns the scheme will be targeted as a bargaining chip in US trade negotiations to ward off threatened pharmaceutical tariffs. Albanese has repeatedly said the scheme was not up for negotiation. Australia eased its biosecurity restrictions on US beef imports last week, but the prime minister has denied the move was linked to US trade talks. He noted the decision followed a 10-year review of Australian biosecurity rules. Beyond new legislation, conflict in the Middle East will likely prompt fierce debate on the parliamentary floor after Albanese said Israel had breached international law by blocking the flow of food aid into Gaza. 'Quite clearly, it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which was a decision that Israel made in March,' Albanese told ABC's Insiders on Sunday. He stopped short of saying Australia would join France in recognising a Palestinian state, but said his government would decide at 'an appropriate time'. 'Hamas can have no role in a future state,' he said. 'Hamas are a terrorist organisation who I find, their actions are abhorrent.' Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Albanese failed to adequately condemn the role of the group in the ongoing conflict. The government is also likely to come under pressure regarding transparency when parliament resumes, after a Centre for Public Integrity probe revealed only a quarter of freedom of information request responses returned by the government in 2023-24 were un-redacted. By comparison, the Morrison government returned almost half of its FOI requests as complete documents in 2021/22.
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘Changed my life': hepatitis treatment offers hope but not enough receiving care, report finds
In 1989 David Clune was a young dad with four children when he was diagnosed with hepatitis B and C. Being told he wouldn't get to see them grow up 'was like a spear went through my heart', he remembers. Clune is not sure how he contracted the virus. However, entering state care in New Zealand at the age of 10, he experienced abuse and neglect as he was cycled through eight different homes, three youth detention centres, one adult remand centre and a psychiatric hospital, and was exposed to shared needles for tattooing and drugs. Clune quit drugs when he was 17 after meeting his long-term partner Grace and focused on their young family and working in a farming community. But life in the community became untenable after the stigma of Clune's diagnosis came at the same time as the Aids epidemic. 'They didn't have the understanding as they do now. It was that horrific that the children that used to play with my children in the community were no longer allowed to.' Clune progressively became sicker. 'I was a dying young dad – my organs were all failing, my kidney, my liver, my heart was under stress, everything. I was in really bad shape.' Sign up: AU Breaking News email In 1992, in the face of stigma, Clune's family emigrated to Brisbane with only $180. When he got to Australia his doctor referred him to the hepatology unit at Princess Alexandria hospital. 'Those guys changed my life,' he says. 'They knew what I'd been through and they built my trust. And when they built my trust, they built my health.' Clune is among the 300,000 people in Australia who live with hepatitis B and hepatitis C – viruses that affect the liver and which, without treatment, can lead to liver disease and liver cancer. For Clune and others, life has become significantly better now there is a cure for hepatitis C and treatment for hepatitis B, but a new report shows many people aren't receiving this care because they don't realise they are at risk or are disconnected from care. Released by Hepatitis Australia on Monday, it shows how hepatitis of all types is distributed among a typical 100 people affected. It concludes that 69 of those 100 people are living with hepatitis B, which is overwhelmingly the most prevalent blood-borne virus in Australia. The remaining 24 are living with hepatitis C, four are living with both hepatitis B and D, and three are living with hepatitis B and hepatitis C. However, only one in three people living with hepatitis B know they have it, and more than half are not receiving the care they need to appropriately monitor their liver health and viral load, and determine if and when antiviral treatment should commence, the report found. Most people (70 out of 100) with hepatitis B were born overseas, according to the report, titled 'If hepatitis was 100 people'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'While people born in Australia since the year 2000 (when hepatitis B vaccinations began being routinely offered) are protected, people born before then, or those born overseas could be living with the virus and not know it because the symptoms often aren't obvious until the liver is severely damaged,' Lucy Clynes, the chief executive of Hepatitis Australia, said. The number of people living with hepatitis C has more than halved since 2016 when unrestricted access to direct-acting antiviral cures became available, but the uptake of the cure has declined 'significantly' since then, the report found. Stigma and discrimination associated with injecting drug use remains a barrier for all people living with hepatitis C in accessing treatment, the report stated. Out of 100 people with hepatitis C, 84 no longer inject drugs or contracted the disease in other ways. Clynes said the work to ensure people who inject drugs are receiving the cure has been effective, 'which is why we're seeing a change in the population'. The people who contracted hepatitis C in other ways – which could be unsafe tattooing, receiving a blood transfusion before 1990 (when screening was introduced) or getting a medical or dental procedure in a country with poor blood safety regulations, are less likely to be interacting with medical services, Clynes said. The report says population-wide testing should be carried out urgently, along with targeted education, and culturally safe care pathways – otherwise Australia will not meet its commitment to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030, in line with global WHO targets.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
I tried the mysterious blue substance loved by RFK Jr to cure my jet lag... I was shocked by what happened to my body
There's no pill or instant fix for jet lag. But with more than 20 hours of flight time from New York to Australia on my horizon, I was eager to unearth any solution in a bid to make the most of my 10-day trip. Friends had suggested everything from the prescription anti-anxiety drug Xanax (alprazolam) to melatonin supplements to pack in some sleep. but then another recommendation from a travel pro piqued my interest: Methylene blue. Methylene blue, which is a cobalt blue-hued synthetic dye, has a long history of being used as treatment for ailments, including for malaria and a rare blood disorder called methemoglobinemia. But in recent years, an increasing number of people believe it may offer various other health benefits, particularly for cognitive function and potentially as an anti-aging agent. Research even suggests that it can kill cancer cells under specific conditions. And In February, footage emerged of Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, 71, on a plane using a pipette to add droplets of a blue liquid to his drink. It is unclear where and when the video was filmed and the footage doesn't show him consuming the concoction. But the clip spread widely on social media, leading to speculation about what it could be. Some medical experts said the blue liquid was likely methylene blue, although he has never commented on what it was. Mel Gibson and Joe Rogan are also among the fans of methylene blue. Brandon Dawson, co-founder and CEO of 10X Health, an individualized wellness company, told me he is also a big advocate of methylene blue to mitigate the tiring effects of long travel journeys. Dawson says he swears by the supplement and he never suffers from jet lag, despite hopping on multiple flights a week around the world. Following his revelation, I stocked up on 10X's methylene blue drops. A 30ml bottle costs $37, with this amount set to last a month if you take it on a daily basis. Dr Johnny Parvani - who runs 10X's IV arm of the business, offering patients infusions of vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes to boost their health - recommended that I start taking methylene blue one day before travel and then throughout the journey and during the trip. Explaining the benefits, he told me: 'This supplement can facilitate the role of oxygen in generating energy in high altitude environments such as with air travel. 'The supplement should help you remain more focused and energized and help you adjust to the new time zone quicker.' Currently methylene blue is not FDA-approved for jet lag, only for methemoglobinemia, and there have been no clinical trials or studies specifically evaluating the effectiveness of it for long-haul air travel. Research is limited, but a 1995 study found the substance can increase oxygen levels in the blood and improve the blood's ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. Some experts argue that, by increasing the amount of oxygen in the blood, methylene blue can improve the health of the mitochondria – the powerhouse of cells in the human body. In doing so, they argue, this can slow down aging or even prevent cancer – which occurs when cells malfunction and mutate. However, perhaps the most excitement is over the potential use of methylene blue for preventing dementia – the incurable degenerative brain disease that affects more than 7million Americans. The exact cause of dementia is unknown, but one theory is that it is triggered by malfunctioning mitochondria in the brain. In 2020, a Chinese paper published in the medical journal Translation Neurodegeneration suggested that methylene blue be considered as a possible preventative treatment for dementia. Another proposed use for the blue dye is treating the mental health disorders depression and bipolar. By improving the function of the mitochondria, supporters argue, this should also boost levels of serotonin, the 'happy hormone,' in the brain. In fact, studies do show that methylene blue can increase serotonin levels. Some research even suggests it can alleviate mental health issues. But back to me - I decided to trial the concoction for myself. In liquid form, you take methylene blue by using a dropper to add it to water. Dr Parvani advised me to drink it through a straw as the liquid can stain your teeth and he also warned me that it could turn my urine blue. Before my trip, I discovered that methylene blue is actually illegal if it is imported into Australia without a prescription as it is a classified as a Schedule 4 substance. After learning this, I hatched a plan to ditch it while changing planes in California and to pre-mix a drink for the 15-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney. Dr Parvani said I should still get the benefits of methylene blue despite not continuing to take it during my trip. The label on 10X's methylene blue drops instructs you to start with five drops diluted in water, with this increasing by five drops weekly until you reach a full pipette (20 drops). Following Dr Parvani's orders, I started by taking the supplement the morning before I traveled. When you first put it in water, the color is barely visible but as it dilutes, it gets increasingly blue. The mesmerizing color change filled me with vague concern as to what it could do to my internal organs. The 10X product says it has a 'pina colada' flavor but I didn't taste anything vaguely fruity while sipping it. To my relief, I also didn't experience any signs of blue pee. At the airport, I took another dose of methylene blue before the next flight on my journey. I'm not sure if it was a placebo effect or the methylene blue working its magic, but I did feel strangely energized and alert the day I traveled. I also went on to have some of the best sleep I had ever had on a plane despite being cooped up in economy. However, there were a couple of side effects I believe may have been from the substance. Firstly, I appeared to lose my sense of taste, and then as I was sleeping, I suffered from pins and needles in my legs and arms. A quick Google, showed that these can be side effects of methylene blue. Other common complaints include dizziness, a fast heartbeat, a headache, shivering and a sore throat. Luckily, I didn't experience any other discomfort while taking the supplement and when I landed in Australia, I found the benefits outweighed not being able to taste my plane pasta dinners and having a dead leg mid-flight. On landing into Sydney at around 7am after more than 24 hours of travel, I felt surprisingly perky. In fact, I managed to stay awake the whole day before rolling into bed at 10pm. The next day, I ran three miles in the morning and embarked on a 12-mile hike in the afternoon. Maybe RFK Jr is on to something. Next time I travel, methylene blue is something I would consider using but if losing my taste is a consequence, it's not something I'd take on a daily basis. Experts say some people are more sensitive to the substance than others, and my friend who took a dose from my bottle returned from the bathroom an hour later exclaiming 'my pee is blue!'
