Brantford child's rabies death raises concerns as Windsor-Essex sees rise in bat bites

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The rabies-related death of a Brantford-area child is highlighting concerns Windsor-Essex health officials flagged following a rise in bat bites.

At the most recent meeting of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s (WECHU) Board of Directors, members received a report from the Environmental Health Division, showing a spike in animal bite investigations in 2023, particularly involving bats.

“I’m concerned,” said Dr. Medhi Aloosh, WECHU’s medical officer of health.

“My message to the community is make sure that you are not exposed to wild animals, particularly bats.”

The Brantford-area child who died from rabies is believed to have been exposed to the virus in the Timiskaming region, north of Sudbury.

“They woke up with a bat in their room,” detailed Dr. Malcolm Lock of the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit.

“The parents looked, didn’t see any signs of a bite or scratches or saliva and didn’t seek getting a rabies vaccine.”

The child’s age has not been released.

The infection was confirmed on Sept. 6, with Public Health Ontario saying it was the first case of domestic human rabies recorded since 1967.

It was that infection which prompted WECHU’s report and Dr. Aloosh’s comments, made just days before the child died.

“This is the first case in more than half a century,” Dr. Aloosh said following the Sept. 26 WECHU meeting.

“The risk is relatively low because we have a very good program in terms of post-exposure prophylaxis,” he added, urging anyone who might have been exposed to call the health unit or their healthcare provider.

So far this year, the health unit reports 48 rabies post-exposure prophylaxis treatments (rPEP) have been administered as of Sept. 10, three related to bat exposure.

WECHU reported they have investigated 696 animal bites — eight from bats.

Last year, the health unit issued 60 rPEP treatments — 16 related to bat exposure. It investigated 1,075 animal bites, 34 of which were from bats.

Dr. Aloosh emphasized the importance of ensuring pets are up to date on vaccinations and that children are taught to respect wild animals and keep a safe distance.

“There have been many times that kids were playing with bats — dead bats,” Dr. Aloosh said.

“So, there’s some education that we need to do for our community.”