An 11-year-old boy in Ontario, Canada, died from rabies in 2024 after waking up with a bat on his face during a cottage visit, according to a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
The child developed symptoms 19 days after the incident, leading to fatal neurological deterioration despite intensive care.
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It marks the first locally acquired human rabies case in Ontario since 1967.
Bat Encounter and Delayed Treatment
The boy's parents did not initially seek medical help because the bat appeared normal and there were no visible bite marks.
Doctors at the University of Manitoba later confirmed rabies through PCR testing.
“When we saw the patient in the PICU, we strongly suspected rabies,” the treating physicians said. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency identified a bat rabies virus variant.
The child died on his 17th day in hospital.
Rabies attacks the central nervous system and is nearly always fatal once symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, confusion, or hallucinations appear.
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Dr. Brian Hummel, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at McMaster Children's Hospital, emphasized that any direct human contact with a bat, even without visible injury, warrants immediate medical evaluation and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
“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,” Hummel and coauthors wrote.
Prompt administration of rabies vaccine and immune globulin remains the only effective way to prevent death before symptoms develop.
The authors noted that bat encounters peak during summer months, making awareness crucial.
Public health guidelines recommend washing wounds thoroughly with soap for 15 minutes and keeping pets vaccinated.
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“Rabies is almost always fatal, with no established efficacious therapies, making prevention crucial,” the authors concluded.
