Last week West Moreton Health issued an alert looking for young kids who were seen playing with a bat near Ipswich Nature Centre.
CEO Hannah Bloch went to great lengths to appeal for help to locate four children between the ages of two and 13 who may have been exposed to the deadly Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV).
Bloch also said it was an usual step for the health service to go out to the community but other ways to identify the children had not been successful.
West Moreton Health Public Health physician Dr Penny Hutchinson said recently there had been several bats in this area that had tested positive to ABLV and witnesses had reported the bat was behaving in an abnormal manner.
“ABLV is a serious and potentially fatal virus. If you or your child had any contact with the bat, immediate action is necessary, even if you don’t have any symptoms,”
Dr Hutchinson said. “Symptoms can appear from five days to several years, most commonly five to eight weeks. If you are concerned that your child may have been exposed to a bat please contact 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for immediate advice.”
Hopefully the children have been located by the time you read this column. The problem of what to do bats in urban areas and how to move them on is complex and difficult.
Many years ago a former mayor was heavily criticised for banging a tin lid to create noise to move them on.
We humans have created attractive feeding grounds in the form of parks in city areas and for bats it must be like beacon which says come here for a good feed and place to rest.
Ipswich City Council’s website lists 12 colonies. Bat population varies during the year and are attracted to Ipswich Nature Centre and Nerima Gardens.
Both these locations are popular with locals and visitors so beware of what’s overhead and take note of any warning signs. Got something to share?
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