Taiwan's Flora and Fauna Quarantine Administration has urged the public not to touch wild animals due to the discovery of lyssavirus in bats, newspaper reported Taipei Times.
The Veterinary Institute has confirmed the presence of lyssavirus type 2 in a dead bat found in a residential building in Tshonghe District. The animal belongs to the species of predatory bats Nyctalus plancyi velutinus.
The agency warned that lyssavirus type 2 is not a rabies virus (Rabies lyssavirus), but can be transmitted to mammals and is dangerous to humans by causing similar symptoms. Animal experiments show a mortality rate of around 100%. Therefore, the authorities urged residents, if they find live or dead bats, to stay away from them and to notify the epidemiological service. In the event of a bite, victims should go to the hospital immediately.
Lissaviruses are a genus of 17 pathogens, including rabies virus.