11-Year-Old Ontario Boy Dies After Rabies Infection Linked to Bat Encounter

An 11-year-old boy from northern Ontario died of rabies after being exposed to a bat during a cottage visit, a case reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The child was awakened by a bat that landed on his nose and mouth 19 days before symptoms began; he swatted it away and his father later captured the bat in a pot and released it outdoors. Because there were no visible injuries and the bat did not appear to act unusually, the family did not seek medical advice at the time.

The boy was taken to an emergency department 20 days after the encounter and initially discharged, but he returned the next morning and was admitted to hospital. His condition deteriorated rapidly, and by the fifth day of admission his brainstem reflexes were absent. Life-sustaining treatment was withdrawn on day 17 of his stay, and he died.

"Any direct human contact with a bat, even in the absence of a visible bite or scratch, should be discussed with public health authorities," the authors of the journal article wrote.

The case underscores public-health warnings that bat exposures require prompt medical evaluation to prevent fatal outcomes.