Canada

Canadian Boy Dies of Rabies After Bat Contact

Does this show the need for urgent care after bat contact or remind us how serious a threat dog-driven rabies remains?

Published JUL 3

Canadian Boy Dies of Rabies After Bat Contact

Story

Above: The snout of a bat of the species common noctule in a forest south of Berlin, Germany, on July 12, 2016. Image credit: Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/picture alliance/Getty Images

The Facts

An 11-year-old boy died from rabies in Ontario, Canada, after waking to find a bat on his nose and mouth during a cottage visit in 2024. The case, described as the first locally acquired rabies infection in Ontario since 1967, was published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
CNN
FOX News
The boy's parents did not seek medical attention after the incident, as he had no visible bite marks and the bat did not appear to behave erratically. Symptoms including facial numbness, tingling and swelling emerged approximately 19 days later.
NBC
ELMUNDOAMERICA
guardian
Doctors initially treated the boy for Bell's palsy and herpes gingivostomatitis before his condition rapidly worsened. He developed a fever, confusion, hallucinations and difficulty swallowing, and was admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit.
Nine
EuroNews
A PCR test confirmed rabies on the boy's fourth day in hospital, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency identified a bat rabies virus variant. "By day 5 of admission, his brainstem reflexes were absent," and he died on day 17.
CNN
FOX News
Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis — a series of vaccines and an antibody injection — is nearly always effective if administered promptly before symptoms appear. Dr. Brian Hummel, a pediatric infectious disease physician, said the treatment is "near universally successful" when given before symptom onset.
guardian
CBC
Human rabies is rare in Canada, with only 28 documented cases since 1924, according to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. Bats are the primary source of rabies transmission to humans in the Americas, and any direct contact with a bat is considered high risk by public health authorities.
BBC News
CNN

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The Spin

Narrative A

Any direct contact with a bat demands immediate medical attention, whether there is a visible bite or not. The tragic death of an 11-year-old Ontario boy shows how fast rabies can turn fatal once symptoms appear, and how easily exposure gets dismissed. Post-exposure vaccines are nearly 100% effective if given promptly, making the decision to seek care after any bat encounter a straightforward, life-saving one.

CTVNews

News Medical

Narrative B

This death is tragic and indeed serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of contact with bats, however, dogs actually cause 99% of human rabies deaths globally, killing an estimated 59,000 people a year. Mass dog vaccination at 70% coverage or higher is the most proven, cost-effective way to stop rabies at its source. Focusing prevention efforts on canine rabies control saves far more lives than reactive post-exposure treatment ever could.