Bats have been given a bad rep for years and while not all the stories behind bat-phobia are real, the one about bats carrying deadly diseases is. Bats carry 60 or more different types of deadly diseases known as zoonoses (diseases transmitted from animal to human).
Here is a list of some of them:
- Ebola
Ebola is a filovirus that causes hemorrhagic issues which compromise blood clots. It is a fatal virus that spreads quickly (in waves) and usually kills hundreds of people until it finally dies out itself. In recent years, the virus mutated and became an even more infectious disease. Bats are an extremely likely source of the Ebola virus. - Marburg
Marburg is a filovirus that causes severe hemorrhagic fever in humans that is often fatal. The largest outbreak occurred more than a decade ago where it was present in 252 cases, 90 percent of them being fatal. The Egyptian fruit bat is a natural host of the Marburg virus. - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome which is caused by Coronavirus SARS-CoV first appeared in China in 2002. However, it spread throughout the rest of the world and became a pandemic. More than 8,000 cases were confirmed and 800 people died. SARS is an airborne virus that can be transmitted through small droplets of saliva. - Hendra
Hendra is a Henipavirus that first occurred in Australia in 1994 when it became an infectious respiratory disease in humans and horses. Pteropodidae bats, such as old-world fruit bats are reservoirs of the disease, however, since 2013, the Hendra virus has been rare with only seven cases to date. - Lyssavirus
Lyssavirus causes rabies and while there are many animals that rabies can be transmitted from, bats can transmit the virus too. The best-known rabies virus (there are 15 species of them) is known as RABV (classic rabies virus) and it is the most significant of human zoonoses. RABV kills tens of thousands of people a year in Asia and Africa (due to dog bites). Rabies can also be caused by the same virus species and is most popular in Latin America.
Bats are not naturally vicious creatures. They like to stick to their dark habitats as much as possible, but they will defend themselves and their home which means that people do get attacked. And, while bats like to be reclusive, sometimes, they end up in our attic. Maybe you are struggling with a bat in your attic right now. If so, give Wildout Animal and Pest Removal a call. Not only can they remove the animal for you they can also block entry points where other pests could gain access to your home. Just give them a call today 844-945-3688!