Glarus Canton – Rabies detected in bats – News

• The Swiss Rabies Center has discovered a rabies virus in a bat.
• The animal was found in the canton of <a href="http://www.time.news/vital-hazard-an-earthquake-woke-switzerland-in-the-course-of-the-night-time/" title=""Vital hazard": An earthquake woke Switzerland in the course of the night time”>Glarus.
• According to the authorities, cases of rabies are rare.

The animal was discovered in Mühlehorn, municipality of Glarus Nord, in September. The person who found the weak bat took it to a sanctuary, where it later died. A subsequent examination at the rabies center confirmed the virus.

Everyone who had contact with the bat was examined as a precaution, as announced by the Graubünden Office for Food Safety and Animal Health, which is also responsible for Glarus.

No danger to the population

Giochen Bearth, the cantonal veterinarian for Glarus and Graubünden, gives the all-clear. “The discovery is not exceptional, but it is rare. We know that the rabies virus can persist in the bat population, but cases like this are only sporadically detected,” Bearth explains.

Legend:

Sick wild animals or wild animals with behavioral problems should not be touched.

Keystone/Frank Molter

Despite the virus being found in bats, Switzerland has been free of so-called terrestrial rabies, which occurs in mammals such as dogs and foxes, for many years. “Switzerland has long been considered rabies-free, at least as far as other mammals are concerned,” says Bearth.

“The risk of rabies in dogs or other animals is very low, but we continue to monitor the illegal importation of dogs from foreign countries.”

This is how you behave properly

In the specific case from Glarus, there was no evidence of a risk to the population. « Everyone who was involved turned right. The health authorities checked them and there was never a direct risk of infection,” continued Bearth. It is still important that the population is aware of the possible risks.

“If someone finds a sick bat or a bat with behavioral problems, they should not be touched under any circumstances,” says Bearth. “You should notify the wildlife agency or bat protection and mark the location. Experts can then take the necessary steps.”

Finding bats on the ground, especially during the day, is often the first warning sign of illness.