Rabies Death: Ontario Child Dies in First Locally Acquired Case Since 1967
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Add ScienceAlert on Google Bats are the leading cause of rabies infections in humans in North America.
(Stan Tekiela Author/Naturalist/Wildlife Photographer/Moment/Getty Images) After the death of a child in Ontario, Canada, doctors are urging people to seek medical attention after direct contact with a bat, even if there are no signs of a bite or scratch. The case involved an 11-year-old boy who woke up with a bat on his face, over his nose and mouth, but had no visible wounds. His parents concluded that, since the animal did not seem to be behaving strangely, they did not need to seek medical treatment.
Nineteen days later, he went to the hospital with some facial numbness, vomiting, and pain, and was ultimately diagnosed with rabies. Once rabies symptoms appear, there is no proven treatment capable of stopping the infection. The patient's care, therefore, became supportive.
It was the first locally acquired rabies case reported in Ontario since 1967. Only 28 cases of rabies have been reported in Canada since 1924. The boy's parents consented to the case being published in an official report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal to raise awareness.
"Bats pose a particular risk because bites or scratches may be small and are easily overlooked, and patients may not recollect or recognize a bat exposure," the boy's medical team wrote. "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." Rabies is one of the deadliest infectious diseases known. The virus attacks the nervous system after entering the body through infected saliva, most often via bites or scratches.
Once symptoms begin, it is almost always fatal; fewer than 35 survivors have been documented worldwide.
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