" Heat Wave " Dangers !

Every summer we face a few days of what the media describe as " heat wave conditions ".  Inland the temperature can reach near fifty degrees and usually the coastal regions get a little relief from the sea breeze but it is a time we need to drink plenty of water to retain hydration and take care of children and the elderly.

This summer we are facing an unusual heat related phenomenon in our inland river system.  Because of the drought the water levels are unusually low and there have been outbreaks of green algae in which oxygen levels of the water have been depleted.  The end result is a massive fish kill and the nightly news shows horrifying pictures of thousands of dead fish clogging waterways.

Blame has been levelled  at the agricultural industry with claims that irrigators are illegally taking water beyond their allotted quotas and in particular our massive cotton crops are being singled out as the main culprit.   Cotton is regarded as a particularly " thirsty " crop and our ability to grow this valuable export income earner is being questioned.

The inland river system supplies the drinking water for many towns and as they expand their needs multiply and to complicate the issue these rivers serve several separate states on the eastern seaboard.
Water allocation is seen as a state matter and this inevitably brings political considerations into the argument.  It is obvious that our inland river system can not meet the demands of both irrigators and population centres without severe rationing.

Now a new danger has arisen that is directly related to the high temperatures we will experience in the next few days.   Australia is home to massive colonies of fruit bats which serve a very useful purpose in the pollination of our agricultural crops.    The summer skies are darkened  by bat numbers leaving the caves, trees and other roosting places to access fruit crops at night and this high heat plays havoc with their navigation systems.   It is not unusual to encounter bats that have the misfortune to be tangled in wire netting, fences or similar obstacles.

They are a cute little animal but there is a danger in the public handling them and trying to ensure they escape whatever they are entangled in.  Bats carry a deadly virus and this can be transmitted to humans through infected saliva from a bite of scratch, or if a human has the saliva transfer to their nose or eyes, or come in contact with a cut on their skin.

So far this year eight people have been infected in the Sydney region and a further seven have needed urgent treatment in the Hunter and New England areas.   The fact that bats carry lyssavirus make it imperative that they are not handled without protective measures in place and this is best carried out by the medical teams that serve that purpose.

In particular, it is important that children be made aware of the danger that bats pose.  The dislocation they suffer in extreme heat makes it likely that distressed bats could be found in suburban gardens and that danger is obvious.