Ontario Boy Dies of Rabies After Bat Contact at Cottage in 2024

Cbc reported that an 11-year-old boy died of rabies after contact with a bat at a cottage in northern Ontario during summer 2024. The boy was awakened by a bat lying on his nose and mouth, swatted it away, and his father caught it in a pot before releasing it outside. The parents observed no scratches or bites and did not seek medical care at the time.

Almost three weeks later the boy developed tingling, numbness and swelling on the right side of his face. His neurological condition deteriorated over the following days after visits to an urgent care clinic and emergency department. He was taken off life support and died peacefully with his family at his bedside.

The case report was published in the Monday issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Dr. Brian Hummel, senior author of the report and a pediatric infectious disease physician at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, said the family wanted to share lessons from the case to increase awareness of rabies risks.

Only 28 human rabies cases have been reported in Canada since 1924, Cbc reported. The most recent case before this one involved a man who died after bat exposure in British Columbia in 2019. No rabies case had been reported in Ontario since 1967.

Bats are the primary rabies vector for human exposures in Canada, though skunks, raccoons and foxes can also carry the virus. Bats have tiny teeth, allowing bites to occur without the victim realizing it, and saliva can transmit the virus through skin breaks or mucous membranes even without a visible bite or scratch. Dr.

Hummel stated that any time a bat has touched human skin, a person should see a health care provider right away. The rabies post-exposure prophylaxis regimen consists of a vaccine given immediately, followed by additional shots on days 3, 7 and 14, plus an injection of immunoglobulin. "If you get symptomatic rabies infection, it is near universally fatal.