Bat exposure causes child deaths from rabies in Ontario for the first time since 1967

A child has tragically died of rabies in Ontario, marking the first domestically acquired case of the disease in the province since 1967.

Dr. Malcolm Lock of the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit confirmed the child’s death and said there were no signs of a bite or scratch, which is why the parents did not give the child a rabies shot.

Notably, this is the first case of domestically acquired human rabies in Ontario since 1967, the BBC reported.

The child, whose age was not released, was hospitalized following the incident in early September and later died.

Human rabies cases in Canada are primarily related to bat exposure

Rabies is a rare but deadly viral disease that can be transmitted to humans, typically through saliva, from infected animals, including bats, coyotes, foxes and raccoons. According to the World Health Organization, the disease can cause severe damage to the brain and spinal cord and is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.

Lock noted that the percentage of bats with rabies in southern Ontario has increased from less than 10% to 16% in recent years. He stressed the importance of seeking medical attention for anyone exposed to bats and advised that treatment and vaccination be pursued promptly, even if bite marks are not immediately apparent.

Health Canada, the government of Canada’s health agency, reports that human cases of rabies are rare in the country. Since the persecution began in 1924, there have been 28 cases in six provinces, all of which were fatal. The agency said almost all human cases of rabies in Canada resulted from contact with bats or exposure to the virus abroad.

Because of prevention efforts, the number of rabies deaths in the United States has declined significantly since the 1960s

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fewer than 10 people die from rabies each year in the United States. This is a “dramatic decline” since the 1960s, which is largely due to prevention efforts.

Between 2009 and 2018, the CDC reported 25 documented cases of human rabies in the United States, seven of which were transmitted abroad. Similar to Canada, most rabies infections in the United States originate from rabid bats, which are found in every state except Hawaii.

The CDC reports that contact with infected bats is the leading cause of human death from rabies in the United States. At least 70% of rabies deaths in the United States are due to exposure to bats. While rabid dogs are rare in the United States, domestic dogs are responsible for over 95 percent of the estimated 70,000 human deaths from rabies worldwide each year.

If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, the CDC recommends washing the wound with soap and water and seeking immediate medical attention. If bat saliva or brain material comes into contact with your eyes, nose, mouth or an open wound, urgent medical attention is needed, the health organization warned.