Dad dies after being bitten by bat while trying to remove it from his home

A dad who tried to rescue a bat stuck inside of his home has died several months after being bitten.

Craig 'Zeb' Nolte, from Australia, was trying to set the creature free when it became stuck in the roof area of his home in New South Wales.

The 56-year-old, who was bitten in October of last year, died earlier this month from Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV).

Found in bats in Australia, the virus is quite similar to rabies and can cause a deadly brain infection in humans.

Symptoms that take weeks to appear usually include fever, confusion and muscle weakness.

It is possible that quick medical treatment, such as a vaccine, can prevent the illness.

However, according to Craig's wife Robyn, 'the injection didn't work'.

She said her husband was injected with prophylaxis immunoglobulin after he had been bitten by the bat.

He died months after the bite (Facebook)

NSW Health confirmed on Wednesday that he did have the vaccine, but symptoms developed later on as Craig fell into a critical condition.

"Post-exposure prophylaxis for lyssavirus exposure includes both immunoglobulin and at least four vaccines given over several weeks," it said after offering its 'sincere condolences'.

"The treatment is very safe and has been proven worldwide to be highly effective."

Craig, who worked as a carpenter, was said to be the fourth person to ever contract ABLV in Australia.

The three other cases also died, including an eight-year-old boy in Queensland back in 2013.

"This is tragic set of circumstances, my heart goes to the family, but questions need to be asked why the vaccine didn't work," said Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader.

Craig was bitten in October of last year and died earlier this month (Facebook)

"Any loss in our community to a preventable occurrence is heartbreaking and a thorough investigation needs to be carried out as to why the vaccine didn't work."

Meanwhile, NSW Health stressed that if 'a bat is injured or in distress, do not try to rescue it'.

"Contact experts at your local wildlife rescue group, which has trained staff who can deal with bats safely," it explained.

"He was the hardest worker and the loveliest man, big heart, a gentleman. He wouldn't have been scared of a bat, he was six foot four," one friend said, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.

NSW said it is still investigating Craig's case, while Mayor Cadwallader noted that there are 'too many' unanswered questions that his family deserves to know answers to.