Teen on lyssavirus watch after cuddling, kissing and being scratched by sick bat

Luke Brown – with mum Anna Brown – cuddled and kissed a sick bat. Picture: Annette Dew Source: News Limited

A YOUNG man scratched by a flying fox infected with the deadly lyssavirus is receiving vaccinations to prevent him developing the disease.

Luke Brown, 15, was walking along Colburn Ave in Victoria Point on Brisbane’s bayside last Friday when he came across the sick bat near a skate park.

“I was going to the shops and when I came back I saw the bat, so I picked it up, cuddled it and went to the shops for a box to put it inside,” Luke said.

Luke’s mother Anna said she was “frantic” after receiving a call from a local sports club that Luke had been playing with the bat.

“They didn’t tell me he had been bitten and scratched. Nobody knew until he told my seven-year-old he had kissed the bat,” she said. “Even though I’ve explained to him the dangers involved, he’s autistic and forgets all about the danger

Metro South public health physician Brad McCall said he was seeking to contact a second person, possibly a woman, who also sought to assist the bat by providing a blanket.

The scare comes a year after the death of eight-year-old Lincoln Flynn, who died after being scratched by a bat in the Whitsundays.

source: couriermail.com.au