Child dies from rabies after bat was discovered in his bedroom

ONTARIO, CANADA – A child in northern Ontario has passed away after contracting rabies from a bat found in their bedroom, health officials revealed. The tragic incident marks Ontario’s first domestically-acquired human rabies case since 1967.

Dr. Malcolm Lock from the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit disclosed the incident during a board meeting. He noted that the child’s parents did not observe bite marks or scratches on their child and, therefore, did not seek a rabies vaccination.

The child, whose age and identity have not been shared, was hospitalized and ultimately succumbed to the virus in early September. Rabies, a rare but lethal viral disease, can spread to humans through saliva from infected animals such as bats and foxes. According to information shared by the World Health Organization, the disease is nearly always fatal once symptoms manifest, causing significant harm to the brain and spinal cord.

Dr. Lock highlighted an increase in rabies-positive bats in the southern Ontario region, rising from less than 10% to 16%, stressing the necessity for prompt medical intervention following any potential bat exposure.

Rabies cases involving humans are quite rare in Canada. Since tracking began in 1924, only 28 cases have been reported across six provinces, all resulting in fatalities. Nearly all Canadian human rabies cases arise from bat exposure or incidents abroad, as stated by Health Canada.

In the United States, rabies deaths average fewer than ten annually, a drastic reduction from the 1960s due to effective preventive measures. The CDC documented 25 human rabies cases from 2009 to 2018, with seven infections stemming from overseas exposures. Similar to Canada, most U.S. cases involve rabid bats.

The United Kingdom has recorded 26 rabies cases since 1946, all contracted abroad, according to British government data. A notable case in 2002 involved a Scottish bat handler who died from a rabies-like virus with low human risk. The most recent UK case occurred in 2018, involving a traveler bitten by a cat in Morocco.