<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia has recorded its fourth death of the bat lyssavirus — a very rare and fatal virus that can lay dormant for years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Health authorities yesterday confirmed a </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bat-lyssavirus-australian-man-dies-first-recorded-case-in-new-south-wales/5cd2ef02-10ad-446c-aaf4-22e18089feb5" rel="" target="_blank" title="man, aged in his 50s, from northern New South Wales had died"><span>man, aged in his 50s, from northern New South Wales had died</span></a><span> several months after being hospitalised with a bite. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It is the fourth case in Australia and the first in New South Wales. Here's everything we know about the virus.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/qantas-customers-to-recieve-personal-information-about-data-stolen-in-cyber-attack/b62d3b0b-52aa-4a7d-86fb-6a584bacdd45" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>The email six million Australians should expect from Qantas</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>What is Australian bat lyssavirus?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) is a very rare virus that circulates in bats and is closely related to rabies.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It can spread to humans if they are bitten or scratched, or if bat saliva comes in contact with the eyes, nose, mouth or any broken skin.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/australian-bat-lyssavirus-what-ablv-is-symptoms-risks-everything-to-know-explained/db07669a-edfc-4878-92db-4bb8dff524ff" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"To infect a human, the virus needs to pass from the bat's saliva into a wound in the skin," University of Sydney's wildlife disease ecologist Dr Alison Peel said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There is no risk if you live or walk near a bat roosting area. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>ABLV was first identified in 1996 and there has only been four cases since; three in Queensland and one in New South Wales.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It has not been found in bats outside of Australia but overseas bats can carry other forms of lyssaviruses, including rabies.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Do all Australian bats carry lyssavirus?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Any bat in Australia, including flying foxes, fruit bats and insect-eating ​microbats, can potentially carry ABLV.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But, according to Peel, the number of bats infected by the virus is typically very low. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Studies have looked for the virus in thousands of healthy bats and failed to find it," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-surry-hills-bodies-found-inside-home-believed-to-have-died-at-different-times/d2a842f5-e3a6-4bd7-9064-efa6c1cdd4d1" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Police believe men found dead in Sydney home died at different times</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>How to tell if a bat has lyssavirus?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It is hard to tell whether a bat is carrying the virus, as they do not appear or behave any differently than an uninfected bat.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Like humans and other animals, infected bats may become sick and die, however, some bats may appear unaffected," Peel said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"So, you can't always tell just by looking at a bat whether it's infected or not."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>What are the symptoms of Australian bat lyssavirus? </span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Symptoms are similar to those caused by rabies and can start off like the flu.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This may include a headache, fever and fatigue.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The illness can rapidly progress to paralysis, delirium, seizures and death typically within one to two weeks.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It is also hard to tell when you contracted the virus as symptoms can start anytime from a few days to several years after infection. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/western-australia-kalgoorlie-boulder-stinky-town-notices-an-improvement-after-adding-lime-to-source-of-odour/9aaedbe6-66a5-46a6-86f2-3521881903c7" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Stinky town notices an improvement after expert sniffs out source of odour</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>How soon after a bat bite do you need treatment?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>ABLV can be fatal if it is not treated immediately.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Health Direct advises anyone who is scratched or bitten by a bat to wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, apply an antiseptic with an anti-virus action and get medical help as soon as possible.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>ABLV does not have its own vaccine but can be treated with a combination of rabies immunoglobulin and rabies vaccinations.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There is no treatment for the virus once symptoms have started.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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," NSW Health Director in Health Protection Keira Glasgow said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>How do you prevent Australian bat lyssavirus? </span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The simple answer is to avoid touching any bats.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Only trained, protected and vaccinated wildlife handlers should be interacting with bats.</span><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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