© AFPAn image of a vampire bat.
Vampire bats have long been suspected of passing on rabies to humans and livestock in Latin America, but up until now solid statistics have been hard to come by. A new study gives us some idea of the problem - and it's not looking good.
The study, carried out in Peru, estimates that more than 500 heads of cattle each year are killed by rabies passed on by the common vampire bat, at a cost of up to US$300,000 in lost livestock and rabies vaccination costs for local farmers.
However, the international team researchers suggests that the number of deaths and the associated costs can be lowered through some simple preventative measures, like earlier vaccinations and more accurate reporting of rabies outbreaks.
"This estimate, at least four times higher than official reports, is essential in planning and implementing cost-effective measures to prevent and control the disease, which mainly affects low-income, small-scale farmers," say the researchers in their published paper.
