10 hours ago
Bat found with rare rabies-like virus in UK back garden
An injured bat that was rescued from a back garden tested positive for an extremely rare rabies -like virus.
Using gloves, the resident of the house in Shorwell picked up the bat and kept it safe in a shoebox overnight.
The animal was collected by volunteers from the Isle of Wight Bat Hospital the next day, the BBC reported.
The bat was later found to have a virus that caused rabies, known as European Bat Lyssavirus-1 (EBLV-1), the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed.
The bat was humanely euthanised as a result.
The Animal, Plant and Health Agency (APHA) investigated the incident and did not find any bites or scratches to humans or other animals.
There are two types of viruses that cause rabies carried in bats in the UK - EBLV-1 and EBLV-2. Both of these viruses are extremely rare and only found in a small number of bats.
Although EBLV causes a rabies-like virus, it is not the same as the rabies virus associated with dogs, which causes most cases worldwide.
The presence of the virus does not change the UK's rabies-free health status, and other mammals are not considered to be at risk, according to Defra.
Rabies can be passed on if an infected animal bites or scratches you or if the animal licks your eyes, nose or mouth, or if you have a wound that is licked, according to the NHS.
Symptoms of rabies can take up to 12 weeks to appear, but once they do, rabies is almost always fatal. Symptoms include hallucinations, difficulty swallowing and breathing, paralysis and numbness or tingling where you were bitten or scratched.
The Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) explained that both strains of the bat virus have only been recorded in 59 out of 19,000 bats tested since 1986. Only two of 18 bat species tested positive: the serotine bat and the Daubenton's bat.
European Bat Lyssavirus-1 (EBLV-1) has been detected in Serotine bats since 2018, with the first case being found in Dorset, according to APHA.
Alex Morss from the charity warned that anyone who had been in contact, such as licked, bitten or scratched by a bat, should contact the National Bat Helpline - 0345 1300 228 - and seek immediate medical assistance.
A bat worker from Scotland died from rabies caused by EBLV in 2002, which is why the charity takes a precautionary approach and advises that anyone who is bitten by a bat gets medical help as soon as possible.
The NHS does offer vaccinations that, if provided soon after exposure, are 100 per cent effective in preventing the disease.
"There is no risk to human health if you do not handle British bats, even if they are roosting in buildings you use,' Mr Morss told the BBC.
"No action should be taken to disturb or harm any wild bats or their roosts.'
All British bats are legally protected and should only be handled by someone with a licence. But if a bat needs rescuing, thick gloves and a face covering should be worn.
