Bat rabies

mrodoc

Well-known member
Well, that is interesting. I found a dead bat a few years back in Bunker's Hole in Devon, it was still hanging from the roof but rather mouldy. I rather jokingly posted a photo on line re WNS but somebody keener actually sent the dead bat off to the vet lab at Langford. You will be relieved to hear they checked it for rabies and it was clear! More recently one of my patients was bitten by a bat and casually mentioned it  during a consultation. He was a bit surprised when I picked up the phone and rang the PHL. The microbiologist must have been one of the few in the UK to have been unaware of the Scottish death but ten minutes later he was ringing back telling me to get my patient down to Exeter for his rabies shots.
 

Speleofish

Active member
It's a difficult question, how seriously should you take a very low risk of a truly horrible disease? When i was a teenager, I occasionally helped a local university group who went bat ringing and have ever since been convinced that greater horseshoe bats were named for the shape of the bite. At the time, I'd never heard of lyssavirus (bat rabies) or I might have been more careful.

I've only seen human rabies once and can think of few things more worth avoiding. Strongly recommend rabies shots if there's even the slightest risk!
 
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rabies-risks-from-bat-bites/information-for-individuals-who-have-been-bitten-by-a-bat

Never want to see that again (many years ago saw a man in Africa).
 

mrodoc

Well-known member
As a complete non sequitur everytime I see 'bat rabies' I think of the drummer for the Damned.
 

ZombieCake

Well-known member
Ah..  Rat Scabies, didn't the Damned release an album called 'Machine Gun Etiquette' a term which could be applied to ...  :eek: .. I'll get banned if I continue.  'Grave Disorder' is another ace album title that could be applied to assorted committees. allegedly of course..!
 
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