Canadian boy, 11, dies of rabies after waking with bat on his face during Ontario holiday, report says
An 11-year-old boy died of rabies after a bat landed on his face while he slept at a family cottage in Ontario, doctors report in a newly published case study. It is the first locally acquired human rabies infection in the province since 1967.
Incident
An 11-year-old boy, whose name was not released, died from rabies following a stay at a cottage in northern Ontario in 2024. One night he woke to find a bat clinging to his nose and mouth. He swatted the animal away and his father captured it in a pot and released it outside. No bite marks or scratches were visible, and the bat did not behave erratically, so the parents did not seek medical attention.
Missed diagnosis
Nineteen days later, the boy began to complain of numbness and swelling on his face. His family took him to a local emergency clinic, where he was prescribed antiviral medication for a suspected case of Bell's palsy, a temporary facial paralysis often linked to herpes viruses. When the symptoms persisted, he went to hospital and received a preliminary diagnosis of herpes gingivostomatitis, a viral infection of the mouth and gums. The following day the right side of his face weakened further and he returned to hospital.
Deterioration and confirmation
While awaiting admission, the boy developed a fever of 39 °C (102 °F), difficulty swallowing, confusion and visual hallucinations. He was intubated and admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit. Doctors at the University of Manitoba strongly suspected rabies given the bat exposure and the typical neurological signs. Laboratory tests later confirmed the infection, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency identified a bat rabies virus variant. The boy died 17 days after admission.
The patient died peacefully, surrounded by his family.
Public health warning
Rabies is extremely rare in Canada. Only 28 human deaths have been recorded since 1924, according to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. The Ontario case is the first local human infection since 1967. Health authorities stress that any direct contact with a bat, even without a visible wound, warrants immediate medical evaluation for post-exposure prophylaxis. The vaccine is highly effective when given before symptoms appear, but once clinical signs develop the disease is almost always fatal.
This low rate of rabies is due to widespread, ongoing vaccination programs, and failure to continue these programs can and will result in a return of disease.
