I read somewhere that this rabies virus is almost identical to the strain found in southern China, so people are speculating that an illegally imported infected animal got lose. I just realized you don't have rabies in Australia. I have always been a rabiesphobe (I looked it up: Hydrophobophobia, http://common-phobias.com/Hydrophobo/index.htm) The US has always had rabies and people die of it every year in spite of decades of efforts to get rid of it. In the US, bats are one of the main causes of rabies, as are skunks.

Here is a very good site I found: http://nwco.net/044-WildlifeDiseases/4-1-0-Rabies.asp. It has a 'Next page' link at the bottom of every page. Interesting stuff. Just the facts.

I think somewhere on that site they say only two people die a year of rabies in the US, but it seems like every time I'm back somebody is dying of it. The last time I was back, a guy stepped on a bat in his attic and got it. One good bit of information is that if you see any bat on the ground, you have to assume it has rabies.