Ontario boy’s bat encounter prompts health-warning after rabies death
An 11-year-old in northern Ontario died of rabies after a cottage-area bat touched his face; the bat was swatted away and later released, but the family did not seek medical care since there were no bites, and symptoms appeared weeks later. He died after more than two weeks in hospital. CMAJ emphasizes that any contact with a bat should prompt public health consultation, even without a visible wound, because postexposure prophylaxis can prevent most rabies deaths.
