An 11-year-old boy in Canada has died of rabies after waking up to find a bat resting on his nose and mouth while visiting a cottage in Ontario. The case, described by infectious disease physicians as “exceedingly rare,” highlights the need for greater public awareness about rabies transmission.
Details of the Incident
The boy was in northern Ontario with his family in 2024 when he woke up and found a bat on his face. He swatted it away, and his father caught it in a pot and released it outside. The parents did not observe any scratches or bites on their son’s face and did not notice unusual behavior in the bat. Consequently, they did not seek medical attention or consider rabies exposure.
According to a report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, rabies is “exceedingly rare” in Canada, with only 28 documented cases since 1924 and the last confirmed case in Ontario dating back to 1967.
Rabies Transmission and Symptoms
Experts note that while rabid bats may exhibit unusual behaviors—such as appearing during the daytime, resting on the ground, having difficulty flying, or being easily approached—“the absence of these behaviours does not exclude rabies.” Bites and scratches from bats are often so small they are “easily overlooked,” and the virus can enter humans through bat saliva contacting cuts, the eyes, nose, or mouth.
Nineteen days after the encounter, the boy developed tingling, numbness, and swelling on the right side of his face. He was initially discharged with a presumed diagnosis of herpes gingivostomatitis. However, the bat exposure led the doctor to consult the local public health authority about anti-rabies medication. By the next morning, his condition worsened, and he was admitted to intensive care with staff “strongly suspect[ing] rabies.” An MRI found lesions on the brain stem, and tests confirmed rabies.
Treatment and Outcome
The medical team considered administering rabies antibodies directly into the boy’s brain, but the “invasive nature and lack of established efficacy” led the family and medical team to forgo further treatment. The rabies virus typically has a long incubation period before symptoms appear, but once symptoms develop, there is no cure and it is usually fatal.
Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), a series of treatments given after potential exposure, is “nearly always effective” if administered promptly. The paper cites overwhelming success in 29 million cases. “Early recognition of exposure and timely PEP remain the only effective means of rabies prevention,” the authors wrote.
