A child in Brantford, Ontario, dies of rabies after contact with a bat, a health official says

A child from the Brantford, Ont., region has died of rabies, a local medical officer of health says.

Dr. Malcolm Lock of the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit told councilors at a health board meeting Wednesday that the child was exposed to the virus in the Timiskaming area, just north of Sudbury.

“They woke up to a bat in their room,” Lock said. “The parents looked, saw no signs of a bite, scratches or saliva, and did not attempt to get a rabies vaccine.”

The child was in hospital last month. No other details, including the child’s age, have been released.

It is the first domestically acquired case of human rabies in Ontario since 1967 and the first ever in a Brantford-Brant resident.

This case shows that rabies, which can cause serious damage to the brain and spinal cord, is still circulating, Lock said.

This year, 16 percent of bats in the Haldimand-Norfolk area tested positive for rabies, compared to less than 10 percent in previous years, Lock said.

“It’s extremely important for anyone who has any type of exposure [to bats] seeking medical attention,” he said.

After contact with bats, treatment should be sought immediately, even if there are no signs of a bite or symptoms of rabies, Lock said.

Treatments include a dose of rabies immunoglobulin and a series of rabies vaccines, which should be given as soon as possible after exposure, Lock said. The treatments are almost 100 percent effective.

Bat bites are easily missed: vet prof

Since reporting began in 1924, there have been 26 cases of rabies in Canada, some of which occurred after exposure to a rabid animal outside the country. the federal government. All 26 cases were fatal.

While other wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, foxes and dogs can become infected, rabid bats have caused almost all human cases of rabies in Canada.

“We know bats have rabies,” said Prof. Scott Weese of the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College.

“We should assume that every bat carries rabies and stay away from that.”

Bats have small teeth and their bites can be easily missed, Weese said.

If people do come into contact with a bat or are bitten by a mammal, they should contact their public health department for advice, he added.

LOOK | It is rare for people in Canada to contract rabies:

Ontario child dies of rabies after contact with bat: health official | Canada tonight

A child from the Brantford, Ont., region has died of rabies, a local medical officer of health says. It is the first domestically acquired case of human rabies in Ontario since 1967 and the first ever in a Brantford-Brant resident.