A boy died of rabies when he woke up to be punched in the face

An 11-year-old Canadian boy died of rabies when he was woken up by a bat in his nose and mouth.

The incident happened when the boy He is visiting his family at a cottage in Ontario in 2024, according to a report published Monday in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

The boy, who has not been named in the report, was caught by a bat in his face after his father released the winged mammal in a pot.

The boy’s parents did not immediately seek medical attention because their child was unharmed and thought the bat behavior was erratic, the magazine said. But after 19 days, the boy started to feel numbness and swelling on his face.

The Journal of the Canadian Medical Association reported that his family took him to emergency care in the following days, and both clinics and hospital doctors tried to figure out his symptoms.

Bell’s palsy (temporary paralysis of the muscles of the face) was first prescribed by the emergency clinic for the child’s antiviral medication, which is used to treat infections caused by herpes viruses;

He then made back-to-back visits to the hospital, first diagnosed with suspected herpes gingivostomatitis, a viral infection of the mouth and gums, then returned the next day with weakness on the right side of his face, according to the magazine.

While awaiting admission, he developed a fever of 39C (102F) with difficulty swallowing, confusion, and visual hallucinations. That day the situation worsened rapidly. He was admitted and admitted to the pediatric ward, the Journal reported.

Doctors at the University of Manitoba’s Department of Pediatrics and Child Health in Canada said they strongly suspect rabies.

An investigation a few days later confirmed this to be the case. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has also identified a variant of the bat rabies virus.

The boy died 17 days after being admitted to the hospital.

He had no history of allergies, sick contacts, tick bites, or recent foreign travel.

Rabies is very rare in Canada. Since 1924, 28 people have died from rabies in the country, according to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.

“This low incidence of rabies is due to the expansion of vaccination programs and failure to continue these programs can and will result in the return of the disease,” the association said on its website.

Any direct human contact with a bat is an indication for post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies – treatment given immediately after exposure to a rabid animal.

Once symptoms appear, infection is almost always fatal, the report said.