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According
to Greek myth, the goddess Diana was bathing naked with her nymphs when
Actaeon the hunter, fascinated by her beauty, crept up to watch.
Diana spotted him and in her rage turned all his hounds mad. Henceforth the Earth had rabies... Rabies is almost always transmitted by a bite; however, non-bite exposures
can and do occur. Contact with an infected animal’s saliva through an
open wound or through the mucous membranes (eyes, nose or mouth), can
result in rabies. According to Bat
Conservation International, careless handling is the primary source
of rabies exposure from bats. Do bats carry rabies?Some bats in Europe do carry rabies viruses. There is more than one strain of rabies. The rabies virus carried by certain European bats is called "European Bat Lyssavirus" (EBL). There are two strains: EBL1 and EBL2. In Continental Europe, the recorded incidence of EBL is low. In Europe, EBL2 has been found only ten or so times, in Pond bats (which are not normally found in the UK) and Daubenton's bats.Do bats in the UK carry rabies?EBL in bats is very rare in the UK. Over the past 15 years of surveillance by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, with up to 200 bats tested each year for bat rabies, only two cases have returned positive results. Both of these cases, in 1996 and 2002, have been Daubenton's bats carrying EBL2. This species rarely lives in houses and rarely comes into contact with people.Batworkers and the Bat Conservation Trust work closely with health officials to monitor the risk to the public. Can people catch the disease from bats?The risk of catching the disease from a bat is extremely low, for various reasons:
What should I do if I am bitten by a bat?The Bat Conservation Trust believes the chances of catching rabies from any wild animal are increased if no action is taken. We therefore advise people to always follow this advice:1. If you find a sick or injured bat: Avoid handling the bat and call BCT's Bat Helpline on 0845 1300 228 during office hours; in Scotland only, people should call 0131 446 2424 during office hours, or 07774 161219 out of hours. If you need to move the bat, ensure that you wear thick protective gloves so that you don't get bitten and gently place the bat in small cardboard box. Bats can squeeze through very small spaces, so keep the box well-sealed but with adequate ventilation holes. Include a piece of cloth for the bat to hide in and a bottle-top containing some fresh water for it to drink. Keep the bat like this in a dark room until you can obtain further advice. 2. On the rare occasion of being bitten by a bat: Wash the wound immediately with soap and water for at least five minutes. Additional cleansing of the wound site with an alcohol base or other disinfectant is also recommended. Seek immediate medical advice from your GP; you can also call the NHS Direct Helpline on 0845 4647 (or 0800 783 5066 for Scotland). Keep the bat so that it can, if considered necessary, be tested for rabies so that the risk to you can be properly assessed. Can I kill the bat if it bites me?No. Bats are fully protected by the law. Killing the bat could reduce the chances of testing it properly for infection. The bat is unlikely to be infected and it may be possible to rehabilitate and release the animal. Your vet will be able to assess whether the bat is so poorly that it should be killed humanely.Bat
handlers - click here for an FAQ on rabies vaccinations page last updated:
4 October, 2006
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