A 11-year-old boy in Canada has lost his life due to rabies. He woke up to a bat sitting on his face, as per a Canadian Medical Association Journal published on Monday.
The shocking incident occurred while the little child was reportedly on a visit to a cottage in Ontario with his family in 2024.
Notably, the boy’s father caught the bat in a pot and released it outside. Unfortunately, they didn’t seek any medical help, as their son didn’t get any visible injuries.
19 days later, the boy started experiencing swelling on his face and numbness, and was immediately rushed to the hospital.
Initially, he received antiviral drugs in emergency to treat the existing symptoms, with doctors trying to diagnose the actual reason behind them.
At first, doctors thought that it might be caused by herpes viruses as they presumed he might have Bell's palsy, the temporary paralysis of facial muscles on one side of the face.
Following some back-to-back visits, his symptoms continued to aggravate, as the boy also developed a fever of 39C, along with difficulty swallowing, confusion and visual hallucinations.
Later on, he was intubated and admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit, the journal mentioned.
Doctors at the University of Manitoba, Canada's Department of Pediatrics and Child Health said they strongly suspected rabies.
Days later, a test confirmed that was the case. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency also identified a bat rabies virus variant.
Unfortunately, the little boy couldn't survive more than 17 days after being admitted to hospital.
Rabies cases in Canada
Rabies infections are very rarely found in Canada. Nearly 28 humans have lost their lives due to rabies in the country since 1924, as per the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
The association stated, "This low rate of rabies is due to widespread, ongoing vaccination programs, and failure to continue these programs can and will result in a return of disease."
Rabies symptoms
Rabies symptoms often start with flu-like signs and gradually advance to severe brain dysfunction.
If you have been bitten or scratched by an animal, immediately seek medical care; once clinical symptoms appear, the disease has already progressed to irreversible stage.
