Canada: Boy Dies of Rabies After Bat Landed on His Face While Sleeping
An 11-year-old Canadian boy died of rabies after a bat landed on his nose and mouth while he slept. With no visible bite marks, the family did not seek immediate treatment. Doctors say rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin.
An 11-year-old boy in Canada died of rabies after being exposed to a bat while sleeping during a family trip to a cottage in Ontario, according to a case report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The child did not have visible bite marks, and his family did not initially seek medical attention.
The incident occurred in 2024 when the boy woke up to find a bat on his nose and mouth. According to the report, he swatted the bat away, and his father caught it in a container before releasing it outside.
Symptoms Appeared Nearly Three Weeks Later
Because the child had no visible injuries and the bat did not appear to behave unusually, his parents did not seek rabies post-exposure treatment.
Nineteen days later, the boy developed numbness and swelling on his face. Over the following days, he visited emergency clinics and hospitals, where doctors initially suspected conditions including Bell's palsy and herpes-related infections. Rabies: How to Spot a Rabid Animal – 10 Signs and Symptoms to Look Out For.
His condition rapidly worsened. He developed a high fever, difficulty swallowing, confusion and visual hallucinations before being admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit.
Rabies Confirmed After Rapid Deterioration
Doctors at the University of Manitoba strongly suspected rabies, and laboratory tests later confirmed the diagnosis. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency identified the virus as a bat rabies variant. Gwalior Man Given Tetanus Shot Instead of Anti-Rabies Vaccine After Dog Bite, Dies of Rabies.
The boy died 17 days after being admitted to hospital.
Doctors Warn Bat Contact Requires Immediate Medical Evaluation
The report emphasises that any direct contact between humans and bats should be treated as a potential rabies exposure, even if there are no visible bite marks. Medical experts recommend immediate rabies post-exposure prophylaxis after possible exposure.
According to the report, rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. However, prompt treatment before symptoms appear is highly effective in preventing the disease.
Rabies infections remain rare in Canada, with the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association reporting 28 human rabies deaths in the country since 1924, largely due to widespread vaccination and preventive measures.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 02, 2026 07:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
