Child dies from rabies after bat found in room, Canada officials say

Minnesota health officials investigating rare rabies death

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A child in Canada has died from rabies after being exposed to a bat in their room, health officials said this week.

Dr. Malcolm Lock, the chief medical officer from Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit in Ontario, said Wednesday the child was exposed to the virus in their room from a bat.

“They woke up with a bat in their room,” Lock said, as quoted by Canadian media. “The parents looked, didn’t see any signs of a bite or scratches or saliva, and didn’t seek getting a rabies vaccine, so unfortunately, that child is now deceased.”

The child was hospitalized in early September, according to a statement by Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer, confirming the first domestically acquired case of human rabies in the province since 1967.

“Brant County Health Unit has received laboratory confirmation of a human case of rabies in a resident of Brantford-Brant. The illness is suspected to have been acquired from direct contact with a bat in Ontario.” Dr. Moore said.

No other details, including the child’s age and gender, have been released.

“Due to reasons of personal health information and patient confidentiality, I cannot comment further on the case mentioned,” a spokesperson from Health Ontario told CBS News in an email.

How is rabies spread and what are the symptoms?

Rabies is a deadly viral infection that attacks the nervous system in humans and animals, causing brain and spinal cord inflammation. It is typically spread to humans through direct contact with the saliva of an infected animal through scratching or biting.

Rabies is commonly found in bats, raccoons, foxes, skunks and some household pets. Without proper and prompt treatment after symptoms appear, rabies is nearly 100 percent fatal in both animals and humans, according to Haldimand and Norfolk Health Services, where the child was admitted. Bats pose a unique risk because their scratches can be hard to notice due to their small teeth, and bats cannot be vaccinated through provincial programs, health officials said.

If bitten by an animal suspected of carrying the virus, health officials advise washing the wound thoroughly with soap and water for 15 minutes and immediately seeking medical attention.

According to the CDC, the incubation period of rabies may last from weeks to months, depending on the location of exposure, severity of exposure and age.

“The first symptoms of rabies, called prodrome, maybe like the flu, including weakness, discomfort, fever, or headache. There also may be discomfort, prickling, or an itching sensation at the site of the bite. These symptoms may last for several days,” the CDC says.

In Canada, there have been 28 known cases of rabies in humans since reporting began in 1924, according to the federal government’s data. All the cases were fatal.

Just last week,  a U.S. citizen died due to rabies exposure after being exposed to a bat in western Minnesota in July.