Further Concern about SNH Advice re Rabid Bats - Kirsty Macleod

The Oban Times (www.obantimes.co.uk) published a letter (28th November 2002) from a concerned reader about the fact that rabies-related virus has been detected in bats in this country, and that Scotland (and indeed the UK) has had its first human death from rabies for 100 years.

Professor Colin Galbraith responded with a letter in the Oban Times published 6th December in his capacity as Chief Scientist to SNH

Land-Care publishes here the highly relevant letter (Oban Times 19th December)
by Mrs Kirsty Macleod , Glen Gloy, Spean Bridge co-founder of People Too.
The earlier letters from Mrs K R Layman and Professor Colin Galbraith are reproduced below.

Dear Sir,

BAT ADVICE FROM SNH - LETTERS 5/12/02

There is a huge inconsistency at the heart of DEFRA/SEERAD policy on public safety if you compare how we are forced to eliminate risk from food consumption and how we are forced to tolerate risks associated with wildlife, if Prof Galbraith of SNH's letter is anything to go by.

Confirming that rabies in bats is widespread in Europe and that 2 cases have been confirmed in England, his simple conclusion is that risks to the public are "minuscule" and his advice is "do not touch bats".

An equivalent policy on consumption of farm products would read something like: the risk of contracting vCJD from meat is theoretical and minuscule, a much smaller risk to your health than smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. We would all choose whether we wanted to risk eating meat or strolling about after dark when bats are active or entering caves or lofts where we might disturb them through the day.

But this doesn't happen. DEFRA has already spoken of the possibility of destroying Britain's (not just England's) national flock of 35m sheep to ensure absolute public safety from sheep meat. To maintain consumer confidence in beef, farmers are buried under mountains of documents, passports and records to eliminate "minuscule" risk.

But rabid bats are to be left in peace. I hope they heard Professor Galbraith's advice and that they cooperate by leaving humans alone.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Kirsty Macleod

Earlier letters

Rabies among bats

The Oban Times, 28 November 2002

Sir,

Having recently asked a long-suffering neighbour of mine to pick up and remove a bat from my (inside) window sill, I was concerned to read of the alarming case of a bat conservationist contracting rabies.

Am I the only ignorant person who believed that Britain was rabies free?

we now learn that bat handlers have been receiving immunization for years.

The risk must be slight, but surely the public should know that rabies does exist in this country, and that bats should never be handled except professionally.

Mrs K R Layman

Bat advice from SNH

The Oban Times, 5 December 2002

Sir,

I wish to comment on the letter from Mrs Layman - (The Oban Times, November 28).

Until the recent tragic case involving a dedicated bat worker, we know of no cases of European Bat Lyssavirus in Scotland. There had been two other known cases of the virus in bats within the UK, one in Sussex and one in September of this year, in Lancashire which was followed by information from DEFRA on October 1 regarding this case.

This, along with the observation that there had been no case of rabies in the UK for 100 years was all previously known. Equally, the fact that the virus was present in bat populations across Europe has recently become widely known.

Since learning of the current case, Scottish Natural Heritage has acted to ensure public safety by stressing that the public should not touch bats and by the creation of a bat casework team to assist if any bats do require to be handled.

In addition we have suspended all licenses for handling bats in the wild, and are currently undertaking a review of working practices, safety equipment and, importantly, of the extent of vaccination in voluntary workers.

It is important to stress the risks to the public are minuscule. The clear and simple advice is do not touch bats.

Professor Colin Galbraith, chief scientist, Scottish Natural Heritage

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