What Is Bat Rabies? Symptoms to Know After Death in Canada

An 11-year-old boy in northern Ontario died after waking to find a bat lying across his nose and mouth while staying at a cottage in summer 2024. No bite or scratch was visible, so the family did not seek immediate medical assessment.

The case, detailed in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on June 29, 2026, was Ontario’s first locally acquired human rabies case since 1967. It demonstrates why symptoms should never be awaited after direct contact with a bat.