ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 19, 1996 TAG: 9610210056
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
Fruit bats called fatal virus source
SYDNEY, Australia - A deadly virus that has killed people and horses has finally been traced back to its host species: fruit bats, a mammal whose wingspan can reach a yard in width.
The strain of morbillivirus - from the family of viruses that includes measles, canine distemper and cattle plague - has been found in the bats, Ian Douglas said Friday. Douglas is the principal veterinary officer at Queensland's Animal and Plant Health Service in Brisbane.
The virus has been a puzzle since it first appeared in horses, and then killed a horse trainer and a veterinarian in 1994.
Though Queensland has millions of fruit bats, there is little likelihood of human beings catching the disease directly from them, Douglas said.
- Associated Press
Grenades built from Net hurt 12 children
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Twelve children were injured this week by hand grenades they built from instructions on the Internet, a Dutch consumers group said Friday.
The children, ages 8 to 13, converted firecrackers into grenades using detailed instructions found on the World Wide Web, said Cees Meijer, spokesman for the Consumer Safety Institute.
One girl lost an eye and another suffered permanent hearing damage, Meijer said. Most of the other children suffered burns.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 37 linesby CNB