A child from┬аthe Brantford, Ont., area┬аhas died from rabies, says a local medical officer of health.┬а
The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit’s Dr. Malcolm Lock told┬аcouncillors at a board of health meeting Wednesday that the child had been exposed to the virus in the Timiskaming region, just north of Sudbury.┬а
“They woke up with a bat in their room,” Lock said. “The parents looked, didn’t see any signs of a bite or scratches or saliva and didn’t seek getting a rabies vaccine.”┬а
Last month, the child was in hospital. No other details, including the child’s age, have been released.
It┬аis┬аthe first domestically acquired case of human rabies in Ontario since 1967 and the first ever of┬аa Brantford-Brant resident.
This case demonstrates that rabies, which can┬аcause severe damage to the┬аbrain and spinal cord, is still┬аcirculating, Lock said.┬а
This year, 16 per cent of bats in the Haldimand-Norfolk area have tested positive for rabies, compared to fewer┬аthan 10 per cent in previous years, said Lock.┬а
“It’s extremely important anyone who has a form of exposure [to bats] seeks medical attention,” he said.
Treatment should be sought right away after contact with bats, even if there are no signs of a bite or rabies symptoms, said Lock.┬а
Treatments include a dose of rabies immune globulin and a series of rabies vaccines, which must be administrated as soon as possible after exposure, Lock said.┬аThe treatments are nearly 100 per cent effective.
Since reporting began┬аin 1924, there have been 26 cases of rabies in Canada,┬аsome of which occurred after exposure to a rabid animal outside the country, according to the federal government.┬а All 26 cases were fatal.┬а
While other wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, foxes and dogs can become infected, rabid bats have caused almost all human cases of rabies in Canada.┬а
