Canadian boy, 11, dies of rabies after waking to bat on his face
An 11-year-old boy in Canada has died of rabies after waking to find a bat on his face. The boy's family reportedly did not notice any bite marks or scratches, and he was not initially treated for rabies. This is the first domestically acquired human rabies case in Ontario since 1967.
Background
The article reports that an 11-year-old boy in Ontario, Canada, died of rabies after waking with a bat on his face in May 2024; he was not treated beforehand. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but can be prevented entirely with post-exposure vaccination (rabies immunoglobulin and shots) given shortly after a bite or scratch. The case is notable because rabies is extremely rare in Canada and the US — this is the first domestically acquired human rabies case in Ontario since 1967. Public health officials stress that any bat contact (even a small, unnoticed bite) must be treated seriously, as bat bites can be barely felt and transmission can occur without obvious injury. The boy’s parents reported no visible bite, so they did not seek rabies treatment. The case has prompted renewed public-awareness campaigns about bat exposure and rabies prophylaxis.