A man has died from a rare bat disease after becoming the first person in NSW to contract the rabies-like lyssavirus.

The man in his 50s, who was bitten “several months ago”, was only the fourth recorded case of the virus in Australia, with the rest from Queensland.

He had been treated for the injury and his diagnosis was revealed on Wednesday when he was in a critical condition.

On Thursday it was revealed he had died.

Bat lyssavirus is transmitted from infected bats to humans when virus in their saliva enters the body through a bite or scratch.

It does not spread through the air.

It is extremely rare for the virus to transmit to humans and there is no effective treatment.

“This is a very tragic situation,” Keira Glasgow, a director in health protection at NSW Health, said.

“Further investigation is underway to understand whether other exposures or factors played a role in his illness.”

The virus shares similarities to rabies and has been found in species of flying foxes, fruit bats and insect-eating microbats.

In 2024, 118 people were treated after being bitten or scratched by a bat in Australia.

Authorities are urging people to avoid touching or handling bats and assume they could be carrying the virus.

“If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, urgent medical assessment is crucial,” Glasgow said.

“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.

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

-with AAP