Tayside Bat Group

Some bats in Europe carry a rabies virus called European Bat Lyssavirus (EBLV). This is different from classical rabies, which has never been found in a bat in Europe, and has two types: EBLV1 mainly affecting Serotine bats, and EBLV2 which mainly affects Daubenton's bats - however ANY bat could carry the virus without showing  symptoms you recognise, and also unless you are an expert you don't know which species you are touching.

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Since 1986 over 21,000 bat specimens have been submitted to APHA for routine screening, and over 15,000 have been tested (not all bats submitted are suitable for testing). Of these, only a low number of bats have tested positive for lyssaviruses, so the risk of catching rabies from a bat is very low. of the 15,000 bats that were tested, only 40 bats were positive for EBLV-1 and 7 bats were positive for EBLV-2.​

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Fishermen can help improve our understanding of rabies in bats by contributing to this research programme; if you find a dead bat, please contact BCT so we can arrange for it to be tested. The discovery of EBLV in UK bats does not affect the UK's rabies-free status.

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The risk of catching the virus from a bat is extremely low. Any human contact with bats is rare, even when they share the same buildings. As EBLV is only transmitted by a bite or scratch or though contact with saliva, there is no risk to people if they do not approach or handle a bat.

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Bats are not aggressive, although, like any wild animal, if handled they may bite to defend themselves. A bat that appears to be baring its teeth is actually 'scanning' you by echolocation.

 

If you are exposed to EBLV there is an effective treatment, provided this is administered soon after infection.  It is vital to do this as soon as possible!