Fatal rabies case in Canada underscores need for immediate care after contact

Rabies continues to claim an estimated 59,000 lives each year across more than 150 countries, with around 95% of deaths occurring in Africa and Asia. Fatal cases are extremely rare in developed countries, where prompt post-exposure treatment and widespread vaccination programs have largely kept the disease under control. Against that backdrop, the recent death of a Canadian child from rabies has drawn significant attention.

According to a report published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the incident occurred in 2024 while the boy was staying with his family at a cottage in Ontario.

The child, whose identity was not disclosed, awoke to find a bat on his face, touching his mouth and nose. His father caught the bat and released it outside.

Because the boy had no visible bite marks or scratches and the bat did not appear to behave unusually, his parents did not seek immediate medical care, the journal reported.

Nineteen days later, the boy developed facial numbness and swelling. Over the following days, his family sought emergency medical care as doctors worked to identify the cause of his symptoms.

He was initially diagnosed with herpes gingivostomatitis, a viral infection affecting the mouth and gums. However, after the right side of his face became weak, he returned to hospital the next day.

While awaiting admission, his condition deteriorated rapidly. He developed a 39°C fever, difficulty swallowing, confusion, and visual hallucinations before being intubated and transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit.

The boy died 17 days after being admitted to hospital.

According to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, Canada has recorded only 28 fatal human rabies cases since 1924, largely due to longstanding vaccination and prevention programs.

"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," the association states on its website.

Medical experts stress that any direct contact with a bat should be treated as a potential rabies exposure and followed by post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)—a course of treatment that can prevent the disease if administered promptly.

Once clinical symptoms of rabies develop, the infection is almost always fatal.

Rabies prevention in Azerbaijan

Rabies prevention remains a priority for Azerbaijan's veterinary and public health authorities.

Cases of rabies in animals are detected in the country every year, while thousands of people are bitten annually by animals—particularly stray dogs—highlighting the continued public health risk.

According to Galib Abdulaliyev, Vice-President of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) European Regional Commission and Head of the Animal Health and Biosecurity Department at the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency, three human deaths from rabies have been recorded in Azerbaijan in 2023, citing the figures while speaking at a conference in Vienna the same year.

In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) adopted the global "Zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030" strategy.

The initiative focuses on mass vaccination of dogs, improving public awareness about rabies prevention, and ensuring timely access to post-exposure vaccines for people bitten by potentially infected animals.

By Nazrin Sadigova