Understanding investigations for rabies in bats
In the UK, bats have been tested for the presence of rabies viruses EBL (European Bat Lyssaviruses) types 1 and 2 since 1986. This Routine Surveillance (RS) scheme consists of a voluntary submission of bat carcasses found by the general public, which are then sent to the National Veterinary Laboratory. Most of the bats received are of the Pipistrelle species.
EBL was first diagnosed in a UK bat in 1996. This incident was followed by the death of an unvaccinated bat conservationist in Scotland in November 2002. As a precautionary measure, a scheme was set up in conjunction with the Health Protection Agency to test all bats which were reported to have bitten or scratched humans. These tests were initially reported under the Human Contact (HC) scheme. In Nov 2004 they were integrated with the Notifiable Diseases Investigations (NDI) and since then have been reported in the NDI section of this page.
All bats reported to show clinical signs suspicious of rabies are tested. There have been six such cases since testing began in 1986. Results are also reported in the NDI section.
Targetted Surveillance involves testing wild caught bats in areas of the country where disease has previously been reported. It was initiated in Scotland and England in 2003.
Page last modified:
March 14, 2008