Australian bat lyssavirus
Alternate name: ABLV
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Fact sheet - Health conditions directory.
Protecting yourself against ABLV (PDF 1208 kB)
Information for people who have found a sick or injured bat (PDF 1245 kB)
Australian CDC fact sheets
Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) is a virus that can be transmitted from bats to humans, causing serious illness. The virus was first identified in 1996 and has been found in four kinds of flying foxes/fruit bats and one species of insect-eating microbat. Blood tests have shown previous infection in a number of other bat species, so it is assumed that any bat in Australia could carry the virus.
Public health management guidelines
Notification
Pathology laboratories
- Notification criteria for pathology laboratories (PDF, 55kB)
- Communications (notifications procedure)
Attending medical practitioners/medical superintendents (or delegates)
In Queensland, potential exposure to Lyssavirus is notifiable by the treating medical officer.
Notification resources
- List of all Pathological, clinical and provisional diagnosis notifiable conditions
- List of Public Health Unit contacts
- Notifiable conditions report form for Queensland doctors/clinicians (PHA S70) or person in charge of a Hospital (PHA S71) (PDF, 77kB) - if faxing notification, follow-up by phone.
Enhanced surveillance for public health units
- Case report form (potential exposure) (PDF, 175kB) - used by public health units to collect and manage more detailed information for enhanced case surveillance.
Clinical guidelines
- Flowchart (PDF, 60kB) - quick reference chart for immediate management of potential exposures to Australian bat lyssavirus.
Resources for health professionals
Immunisation
- Australian immunisation handbook - clinical guidelines for health professionals on the safest and most effective use of vaccines in their practice.
Related information
- Bats and human health – Queensland Health website which provides links to fact sheets and other resources.
- Safe bat handling, WorkCover Queensland
- Lyssavirus (bat awareness posters A3):
- Don't pat a bat (PDF 3591 kB)
- Don't touch bats (PDF 3568 kB)
- Don't touch me (PDF 3202 kB)
- Heat stress (PDF 3358 kB)