A child has died of rabies after being bitten by a bat during their sleep. The parents woke to find the bat in the room.
Yet seeing no signs of bite marks, they did not get a rabies vaccine for the child. Possessing one of the gravest mortality rates, rabies results in death for almost every infected individual.
The child had been been hospitalised since early September in Ontario, Canada. The tragedy is the city’s first confirmed case of rabies since 1967.
The identity of the young victim, including their name, age, and gender, has been kept confidential to safeguard the family’s privacy. Rabies transmission to humans can occur through a variety of wild animals such as bats, raccoons, coyotes, foxes, and skunks.
It appears the parents of the Ontario child did not observe any infection symptoms. There is an effective vaccine available that offers complete protection against rabies if given within two days of exposure.
Dr. Malcolm Lock from the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit revealed the incident during a recent health board meeting on October 2, reports the Mirror. He reported: “They woke up with a bat in their room.
“The parents looked, didn’t see any signs of a bite or scratches or saliva and didn’t seek getting a rabies vaccine.” The incident took place in a region north of Sudbury, Ontario, home to hundreds of lakes and at least four different species of bat.
Bats possess incredibly tiny fangs, making it challenging to identify potential bite marks. Doctors advise anyone who has been in contact with these creatures to receive a rabies vaccine as a precautionary measure.
There are certain indicators that suggest when a bat should be approached with caution. Bats found active during daylight hours, on the ground or unable to fly should be treated warily.
Since the detection of a fungal disease in 2006, Ontario’s bat population has significantly declined. This disease, first identified in New York, triggers a fungal growth on the skin of bats, which eventually disintegrates.
This disrupts their hibernation ability, leading them to feel undernourished and energy-deprived. Rabies impacts bats in a similar way to humans, with the virus rapidly replicating nerve cells in the brain and causing a range of key symptoms.
Early signs of the infection include fatigue, fever and headaches, which then progress into respiratory spasms and chest tightness. The mental state can also alter, with confusion, aggression and seizures all observed in patients who may also experience limb paralysis as the infection progresses.
If not properly vaccinated, rabies almost invariably results in a coma and death within a few weeks of onset. Dr Lock emphasised: “It’s extremely important that anyone who has a form of exposure [to bats] seeks medical attention.”
He added that treatment and vaccination should be quickly sought, even if bite marks are not immediately visible.