An 11-year-old Canadian boy has died from rabies after waking up with a bat on his face during a visit to a cottage in northern Ontario in 2024. The boy smacked the bat off his face, and his father caught it in a cooking pot and released it outside. Since the child had no visible bite marks and the bat’s behavior did not seem erratic, the boy’s parents did not seek medical attention.

Rabies Symptoms and Treatment

However, 19 days later, the boy began to experience a progressive tingling sensation and numbness on the right side of his face, followed by facial swelling and a loss of appetite. The boy’s family told the doctors about the incident with the bat, and a physical exam found ulcers in his gums and a mild impairment in a nerve on the right side of the face that provides sensation and controls chewing.

Rabies is a virus that attacks the central nervous system of humans and other mammals, and it is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. It is contracted through an infected animal’s bite or scratch, or if the animal’s bodily fluids enter the eyes, nose, mouth, or an open wound.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency identified a bat rabies virus variant, and a PCR test confirmed a rabies diagnosis on the fourth day of the boy’s admission. The child died on his 17th day in hospital.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends making sure pets are up to date with their rabies vaccinations and consulting a doctor before traveling about your risk of exposure to rabies. If you are bitten or scratched by an animal, thoroughly wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes, apply rubbing alcohol, and seek medical attention immediately.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.