An Ontario health official says a child in the province has died of rabies after being exposed to a bat.
Dr. Malcolm Lock, the acting medical officer of health for the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, confirmed the death during a board of health meeting.
Lock said at the Wednesday meeting that the child woke up and a bat was in their room.
He said the parents did not see any signs of a bite, scratches or saliva at the time, so did not seek out a rabies vaccination.
Lock says rabies is increasing in the bat population, with a 16 per cent positivity rate this year compared to less than 10 per cent in previous years.
There have been fewer than 30 human cases of rabies in Canada since 1924, and Health Canada says rabid bats have been the only source of exposure since 1967.