A person who handled a bat in Mayenne was treated as a preventative measure against rabies. The sick animal was carrying the deadly virus. Although cases of transmission to humans are exceptional, precautions must still be taken.
A case of rabies has been confirmed in a sick bat discovered in the commune of Sainte-Suzanne-et-Chammes, in Mayenne. This is the first case detected in the department.
“A person who handled the bat was referred to a rabies center for preventive treatment.”specifies the Mayenne prefecture. Rabies is a fatal disease if it is not treated.
“Bat rabies is caused by a virus from the same family, but different from that of so-called “vulpine” rabies, eradicated in France since 2001 and mainly affecting foxes.explains the prefecture in its press release. Transmissions to other species have only very rarely been observed in Europe.”
In France, the national surveillance network has detected around three cases of rabies in bats per year since 1989. Only three cases of transmission of the virus to humans by a bat have been confirmed since the 1980s.
In August 2019, a case of rabies, probably transmitted by a bat, led to the death of a patient in New Aquitaine. This was “first case of rabies contracted in metropolitan France since 1924!”specifies thePastor Institute.
“Rare cases of transmission have also been described in other mammals such as the domestic cat, notably in France by the national rabies reference center”adds the research institute.
The rabies virus is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal following a bite or scratch. “LBats are wild and protected animals. It is therefore important not to touch them, handle them or try to catch them.”recalls the Mayenne prefecture.
In the event of contact and especially of a scratch or bite by the animal, the wound should be cleaned immediately with soap and rinsed thoroughly before applying a disinfectant.
Advice should also be sought quickly from a doctor or directly from a rabies center who will assess the appropriateness of preventive medical treatment.
Rabies is an infection of the nervous system, encephalitis, which disrupts neuronal activity. “The incubation period of the disease is long enough to allow treatment of the disease by vaccination before the first symptoms appear”explains the Pasteur Institute. Disease is systematically fatal if nothing is done before symptoms appear.
