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Doctors detail 2024 Ontario child rabies death, warn public about contact with bats
Doctors say prompt treatment after any bat contact can prevent rabies, which is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, and only 28 Canadian cases have been reported since 1924.
- An 11-year-old Ontario boy died from rabies after waking with a bat on his face, according to a report published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. He is the province's first locally acquired rabies fatality since 1967.
- Because the bat lacked aggressive behavior and left no visible bite marks or scratches, the boy's parents did not seek medical attention. Bats often transmit rabies through small teeth and claws difficult to detect.
- Nineteen days after the incident, the child developed facial numbness and tingling. A local clinic misdiagnosed the symptoms as Bell's palsy before his condition deteriorated with fever, confusion, and difficulty swallowing.
- Doctors admitted the boy to the pediatric intensive care unit, where a PCR test confirmed rabies on the fourth day of admission. He died on his 17th day in the hospital.
- Medical professionals urge anyone with potential bat contact to immediately seek medical attention rather than self-inspecting for wounds. Post-exposure prophylaxis is highly effective if administered before symptoms develop, though rabies remains nearly always fatal once symptoms appear.
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223 Articles
He woke up with a bat on his face and drove him out. After a few days he began to feel sick; transported to the hospital, he had been diagnosed with...
The minor died weeks after contact with the animal
·Barcelona, Spain
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An eleven-year-old Canadian boy woke up to find a bat sitting over his mouth and nose. A few weeks later, the boy died from complications of rabies.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources223
Leaning Left52Leaning Right29Center90Last UpdatedBias Distribution53% Center
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources are Center
53% Center
L 30%
C 53%
R 17%
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