Rabies danger from bats Never touch animals with bare hands

Rabies virus detected: Stay away from bats
In recent weeks rabid bats have been found in various places in Germany. Rabies is still one of the most dangerous infectious diseases. If left untreated, it can lead to fatal encephalitis (encephalitis). Experts advise not to touch bats with bare hands.

Detected virus can cause rabies in humans
The district of Oder-Spree (Brandenburg) has warned against rabid bats. "The behavior-sensitive bats had been found helpless in the community Grünheide and Eisenhüttenstadt," it says in a statement. The state laboratory Berlin-Brandenburg was able to detect the European bat rabies virus type I in both animals. "The detected virus type can lead to rabies diseases by bite injuries or contact in humans," warns the district.

In recent weeks rabid bats have been found in various places in Germany. Experts warn against touching the animals with their bare hands. (Image: Geza Farkas / fotolia.com)

Woman was bitten by bat
Also in Lower Saxony Wittmund rabies has been detected in a bat. According to a message from the "Nordwest-Zeitung" (NWZ), the animal had bitten a woman who discovered the bat during the day and wanted to pick it up with gardening gloves. "The woman has been vaccinated and has been given antidotes," Dr. Norbert Heising, head of the veterinary association Jade-Weser with seat in Roffhausen, in the NWZ.

Fledermaustollwut differs from that of foxes
As the veterinarian explained, batshot rabies is a separate occurrence that is distinct from the more dangerous rabies of foxes and other animals: According to him, rabies is not unusual among bats, especially in northern Germany.

According to the information, only saliva is infectious in rabies animals. "Infected bats are also not active on humans or other animals. Transmission of the rabies virus from bats to humans is rare, but not excluded, "said Heising.

Danger in Germany largely banned
Rabies is still considered one of the most dangerous infectious diseases worldwide. More than 15 million people are treated every year with a suspicion of rabies. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, between 50,000 and 60,000 people die every year from the preventable disease. Most of them in Asia and Africa.

Germany is one of the countries in Europe where rabies can be eradicated in wild and domestic animals, but bats continue to be a natural reservoir for rabies.

After a bite necessarily to the doctor
The virus-induced rabies causes - in the case of the uninoculated - in many cases a fatal encephalitis (encephalitis). If there is a bite, the site must be thoroughly cleaned and a doctor should be consulted. When waiting to see if rabies symptoms appear, it is usually already too late for therapy. An infection with the rabies pathogen is usually treated with an immediate active vaccine and with special antibodies (immunoglobulin). A preventive vaccine is also available.

The first signs of the disease include nonspecific symptoms such as fever, a general malaise, headache, nausea and vomiting. Typical rabies symptoms that occur in 50 to 80 percent of cases are itching and pain or sensory disturbances near the bite. At this stage, it may already be too late for treatment.

Do not touch animals with bare hands
The Veterinary and Food Surveillance Office of the Oder-Spree county advises careful handling of wild animals: "Wild animals should not be touched! The capture or recovery of sick, injured or dead wildlife must be done with expertise. "

According to the experts rabies sick bats are mostly on the ground and show abnormal behavior such as Attacking nearby objects, orientation difficulties or flight disability.

It does not matter if you have apparently healthy, sick or injured animals: Bats should only be handled with protective gloves that protect against bite injuries and infection with pathogens. (Ad)