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An 11-year-old boy died from rabies in Ontario, Canada, after coming into contact with a bat lying over his nose and mouth. This is the province’s first fatal rabies case in over 50 years, and he began showing symptoms 19 days after the incident, receiving only supportive care.
The incident marks Ontario’s first fatal rabies case in over 50 years, highlighting significant public health concerns. Experts are collaborating to draw insights from the boy’s death to enhance preventive measures against rabies, especially during peak human-bat interaction periods in summer.
Ontario’s health authorities confirmed the fatal rabies case of an 11-year-old boy as the first in over 50 years, prompting public health officials to emphasise the importance of immediate post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for anyone in contact with bats. Dr Brian Hummel, co-author of the report on this incident, warned that any direct human contact with a bat should be treated as high risk and urged public health consultations, particularly as the summer months lead to increased human-bat interactions.
What remains unclear — The report on the boy’s death has yet to establish how rabies was contracted without visible bite or scratch marks.
Eleven-year-old boy dies from rabies three weeks after bat encounter in Ontario
Bats usually spread rabies through bites or scratches (Picture: Getty Images)
An 11-year-old boy died from rabies less than three weeks after he woke up with a bat lying over his nose and mouth.
The child contracted the lethal virus despite not having any apparent bite or scratch marks from the interaction, a report has shown.
Nineteen days after the incident, the boy started presenting with symptoms consistent with the disease, including vomiting, facial ‘pins and needles’, and numbness.
He visited the emergency department where he was given supportive care, as there is no cure once the symptoms of the virus develop.
The parents of the boy – who has not been named – agreed to share their son’s story in a bid to raise awareness of the disease.
This was Ontario, Canada’s first fatal rabies case in more than 50 years. (Picture: Getty Images)
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It was the first fatal case of rabies in Ontario, Canada, in more than 50 years.
Experts hope that a new report on the boy’s death, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), will provide critical guidance to help prevent future rabies deaths.
Rabies in humans is almost always fatal, but post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with a series of rabies vaccines and human rabies immune globulin injections can prevent death if administered promptly, before symptoms develop.
Bats are the most common carriers of rabies in North America, but the disease can also be passed from raccoons, skunks, and foxes.
Bats pose a particularly heightened risk as scratches or bites can be small and difficult to see.
Bats pose a particularly high risk of rabies (Picture: Getty Images)
Report co-author Dr Brian Hummel said: ‘Any direct human contact with a bat – even in the absence of a visible bite or scratch – is an indication for PEP and should be discussed with public health authorities.
‘This is especially important to consider as we approach the summer months, when human–bat encounters are at their peak.’
He says people who may have been in contact with a wild animal that could potentially have rabies should seek medical attention promptly.
‘Bats may or may not show classic signs of rabies; hence, any direct human contact with a bat is considered high risk,’ he added.
In the case of possible rabies virus exposure, public health authorities should be notified and PEP should be started in consultation.
Symptoms of rabies
According to the NHS, symptoms take three to 12 weeks to appear, but can appear after a few days. They can also appear after several months or years.
Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.
Symptoms include:
Numbness or tingling where you were bitten or scratched
Seeing things that are not there (hallucinations)
Feeling very anxious or energetic
Difficulty swallowing or breathing
Being unable to move (paralysis)
Dr Hummel, a paediatric infectious disease specialist at the McMaster Children’s Hospital and McMaster University, Ontario, continued: ‘Rabies is almost always fatal, with no established efficacious therapies, making prevention crucial.
‘Rabies PEP is highly effective if administered promptly, in consultation with public health authorities, after any direct human contact with a bat, even in the absence of visible lesions.
‘In people with neurological symptoms that may be compatible with rabies, clinicians should ask about exposure to potentially rabid animals.’
There have been 27 confirmed cases of human rabies in the UK since 1924.
All but one were contracted abroad, primarily from dog bites in South Asia or Africa, before the patient returned to Britain.
The only recent case where rabies was contracted in the UK was in 2002, when a licensed bat handler in Scotland died from a rabies-like virus.
The UK has been completely free of terrestrial rabies – the kind spread between dogs and foxes – since 1922.
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