Against my better judgement I attempted to rescue this lost Ringtail Possum at work today. Alas, I did not have gloves or a towel with me, and the little bugger bit me. #possum #AustralianWildlife
I called my doctor, just to be safe. She asked if I had cleaned the wound (thinking soap and water), and I said, yeah, I used 70% ethanol solution (it's what I had available). She seems to think that sufficient.
Is rabies a concern in this case? As far as I know, getting bit by a wild mammal should always be treated as a possible vector of infection. And now I'm thinking of that's even the case today and surely not in every part of the world. π
Luckily no. Although there is a very very slim chance of Tularaemia (a bacterial infection), but since I doused the wound in 70% ethanol solution (yes is stung), I should be fine. Watching for symptoms just in case.
We do have a range of critters that want to kill you, and there's Hendra and Lyssa Virus from bats, the latter being similar to Rabies, but only caught by being scratched or bitten by an infected bat.
Funkpirata
in reply to David de Groot π • • •David de Groot π
in reply to Funkpirata • • •Eyes on Nature
in reply to David de Groot π • • •get well soon!
Is rabies a concern in this case? As far as I know, getting bit by a wild mammal should always be treated as a possible vector of infection. And now I'm thinking of that's even the case today and surely not in every part of the world. π
David de Groot π
in reply to Eyes on Nature • • •Eyes on Nature
in reply to David de Groot π • • •Dan ΔermΓ‘k
in reply to Eyes on Nature • • •David de Groot π
in reply to Dan ΔermΓ‘k • • •Technically there is no rabies in Australia.
There is Lyssa virus, which is very similar, but that only occurs in Bats.
Dan ΔermΓ‘k
in reply to David de Groot π • • •David de Groot π
in reply to Dan ΔermΓ‘k • • •Yep. No rabies.
We do have a range of critters that want to kill you, and there's Hendra and Lyssa Virus from bats, the latter being similar to Rabies, but only caught by being scratched or bitten by an infected bat.