Tragic rabies case in Ontario: Child dies from bat encounter
The parents did not notice the bat that flew into their child's bedroom, resulting in the child dying from rabies contracted from the animal. Canadian media are raising the alarm as this is the first such case in nearly sixty years.
6:01 AM EDT, October 5, 2024
This tragic incident occurred in the Canadian province of Ontario when a bat entered the child's sleeping area.
According to health officials quoted by the BBC, the parents did not notice any wounds or scratches on the child's body, which led to the infant contracting rabies.
The child was taken to the hospital too late, and as a result, the rabies vaccine was not administered in time. Authorities report this as the first human rabies case in Ontario since 1967.
"It's extremely important that anyone who has a form of exposure [to bats] seeks medical attention," said Dr. Malcolm Lock from the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit. He added that treatment and vaccination should be sought quickly, even if bite marks are not immediately visible.
Doctors have not disclosed the age or gender of the child, but they emphasized that, according to the World Health Organization, rabies is a disease that can cause severe damage to the brain and spinal cord. Once symptoms appear, it almost always leads to death.
According to Health Canada, the federal health department, human rabies cases in the country are rare. Since reporting began in 1924, 28 rabies cases have been recorded across six provinces, all of which were fatal.
