A tragic incident in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in the death of a child from rabies after the child was exposed to a bat discovered in their bedroom, according to local health authorities.
The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, represented by Dr. Malcolm Lock, announced the death during a board meeting on Wednesday. Dr. Lock reported that the unnamed child encountered the bat in a location north of Sudbury and that the parents did not observe any bites or scratches, leading them not to seek rabies vaccination for the child.
This unfortunate case marks the first instance of domestically acquired rabies in Ontario since 1967. The child’s age has not been disclosed, but it was confirmed that they were hospitalized following the incident in early September and subsequently passed away.
Rabies is a rare but lethal viral infection that can be transmitted to humans from infected animals such as bats, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes, primarily through the animal’s saliva. The disease often leads to severe neurological damage and, once symptoms appear, has a near-certain fatality rate, as indicated by the World Health Organization.
Dr. Lock emphasized the rising risk, stating that the percentage of bats infected with rabies in southern Ontario has climbed from less than 10% to 16% in recent years. “It is crucial for anyone who has had any exposure to bats to seek medical attention promptly,” he cautioned, noting that rabies treatment and vaccination should be pursued even if no visible bite marks are present.
According to Health Canada, human cases of rabies are infrequent in the country. Since tracking began in 1924, there have been 28 reported cases across six provinces, all resulting in fatalities. Nearly all rabies cases in Canada stem from bat exposure, with others occurring while individuals were abroad.
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports fewer than 10 annual rabies-related deaths, a significant decline since the 1960s due to successful prevention initiatives. From 2009 to 2018, 25 cases of human rabies were documented in the U.S., with seven contracted outside the country. Similar to Canada, most rabies exposures in the U.S. are linked to rabid bats, which are found in every state except Hawaii.
In the UK, there have been no reported rabies cases resulting from domestic infections since 1902. The British government’s data indicates 26 cases since 1946, all pertaining to infections acquired abroad, the most recent being in 2018, involving a traveler bitten by a cat in Morocco.
Credit: BBC News
