An Australian man aged in his 50s has died from a rare virus several months after he was bitten by a bat.

The northern NSW man was his state’s first confirmed case of Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV), a disease that left him in a critical condition in hospital.

NSW Health expressed its “sincere condolences” to loved ones as they revealed on Thursday he had died.

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“While it is extremely rare to see a case of Australian bat lyssavirus, there is no effective treatment for it,” a NSW Health spokesperson said.

“NSW Health reminds the community to avoid touching or handling bats, as any bat in Australia could carry lyssavirus.

“Infected bats can transmit the virus to humans when its saliva enters the body via a bat bite or scratch.”

It is the fourth death from ABLV in Australia since 1996, with two women and an eight-year-old boy from Queensland dying after they were bitten or scratched.

Health authorities said the man was bitten several months ago and received treatment following the injury.

“Further investigation is underway to understand whether other exposures or factors played a role in his illness,” NSW Health Protection director Keira Glasgow said on Wednesday.

Lyssavirus, closely related to the rabies virus, has also been found in flying foxes.

Any bat in Australia could potentially carry ABLV.

Early symptoms are flu-like — headache, fever and fatigue — but can progress “rapidly” to paralysis, delirium, convulsions and death, “usually within a week or two”.

“We know 118 people required medical assessment after being bitten or scratched by bats in 2024, but this is the first confirmed case of the virus in NSW, and the fourth case in Australia,“ Glasgow said.

“It is incredibly rare for the virus to transmit to humans, but once symptoms of lyssavirus start in people who are scratched or bitten by an infected bat, sadly there is no effective treatment.”

The advice if you are bittern or scratched is to seek urgent medical treatment.

“You will need to wash the wound thoroughly for 15 minutes right away with soap and water and apply an antiseptic with anti-virus action, such as betadine, and allow it to dry,” Glasgow said.

“You will then require treatment with rabies immunoglobulin and rabies vaccine.”