Jakarta, ThedailyID — An 11-year-old boy in Ontario, Canada, has died from rabies after waking up to find a bat resting on his nose and mouth, despite showing no visible bite or scratch.
The case, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, marks Ontario’s first locally acquired rabies death since 1967. It also highlights the danger of bat exposure, even when no obvious injury is present.
According to the report, the boy woke up with a bat on his face. He immediately swatted it away, and his father released the animal outside. Because the child appeared healthy and had no visible wounds, the family did not seek medical attention.
However, his condition changed about 19 days later.
He first developed facial numbness, vomiting, and pain. Soon afterward, he experienced slurred speech, fever, difficulty swallowing, confusion, and visual hallucinations.
Doctors admitted him to a pediatric intensive care unit. They quickly suspected rabies after learning about the bat exposure and his neurological symptoms.
Unfortunately, the virus had already reached the brain. By the time symptoms appeared, treatment could no longer stop the disease. The boy died after doctors withdrew life support on the 17th day of his hospital stay.
Health experts say the tragedy underscores an important public health message. A person does not need to have a visible bite or scratch to become infected with rabies after contact with a bat.
Bat bites can be extremely small and may go unnoticed. As a result, bats remain the leading source of human rabies infections in North America.
Doctors involved in the case stressed that any direct contact with a bat should be treated as a potential rabies exposure, even if no wound can be seen.
In those situations, people should immediately contact public health authorities or seek emergency medical care to receive post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). The treatment consists of rabies immunoglobulin and a series of vaccines administered before symptoms develop.
PEP is highly effective at preventing rabies if given promptly. However, once symptoms begin, the disease is almost always fatal. Medical experts estimate that fewer than 35 people worldwide have survived rabies after symptoms appeared.
The boy’s family agreed to make the case public in hopes of raising awareness about the risks associated with bat exposure.
Doctors hope the case reminds the public that any direct contact with a bat warrants immediate medical evaluation, even when there are no visible signs of injury.
