An 11-year-old boy in Ontario has died from rabies after he awoke to find a bat on his face, according to a report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The incident occurred in 2024 while the family was staying at a cottage in northern Ontario.
Bat Encounter and Delayed Care
The child, who was not identified, reportedly swatted the bat away after waking to find it on his nose and mouth. His father then captured the bat and removed it from the premises. At the time, the boy had no visible bite marks or scratches, and his parents did not believe any injury had occurred. Consequently, the family did not seek immediate medical attention. Health officials recommend evaluation for rabies exposure after any direct contact with a bat, as bites can be small and go unnoticed.
Worsening Symptoms and Diagnosis
Weeks after the encounter, the boy began to exhibit symptoms including facial swelling and paralysis. Over several days, he was taken to various clinics and emergency rooms. Doctors initially treated him for herpes and Bell’s palsy, a temporary facial weakness, before discharging him. He later returned to the emergency room, where he developed a fever, confusion, and severe hallucinations. His condition deteriorated rapidly, leading to intubation to protect his airway and admission to a pediatric care unit.
Rabies: A Preventable Yet Fatal Disease
During consultation, the infectious disease service strongly suspected rabies based on the bat exposure and the boy’s neurological symptoms. Rabies is a viral disease transmitted to humans through bites and scratches from infected animals, affecting the central nervous system and often leading to death. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear but is preventable with timely treatment.
Human rabies cases are rare in both the U.S. and Canada, with fewer than 10 deaths reported annually. This case marked the first reported death from rabies in Ontario since 1967. The boy ultimately lost brain stem function and died 17 days after his hospital admission.
Mitchell Landsberg is the senior reporter for News Raise and focuses on Technology. Mitchell regularly writes about social media platforms and how influencers, industry and general people use them to communicate and make money.
