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Authorities in Ipswich are concerned that children may have been exposed to a dangerous bat-borne virus known as lyssavirus at Queens Park. Last weekend, four children were spotted playing with a flying fox in the area. The bat was found lying on the ground, displaying symptoms of the deadly lyssavirus.
Parents are urged to contact authorities immediately if they suspect their children were near the bat. Health officials are worried about the safety of these four children and the potential consequences of exposure to the virus.
The children, aged between two and 10 years old, may require urgent medical assessment and treatment for possible exposure to the Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV), which is similar to rabies. Authorities are asking the public for help in locating these children.
Hannah Bloch, the chief executive of West Moreton Health, is calling on parents to talk to their children if they were in the area last Saturday and to contact 13 HEALTH if they had any interaction with bats.
"It's crucial that parents don't wait for symptoms to appear but reach out early," Ms. Bloch said. "We want to avoid causing panic, but it's essential that we identify these children."
Tests conducted on flying foxes in the area suggest the possibility of bats carrying ABLV in Ipswich. Since 1996, three Queenslanders have died from this virus. The most recent case was eight-year-old Lincoln Flynn, who passed away at the Mater Children's Hospital after being scratched by a bat on Long Island in the Whitsundays, where his family lived.