Last week, Ontario reported its first case of human rabies since 1967. The incident occurred in Gowganda, a rural community south of Timmins, Ont., in the Timiskaming District. It was believed to have been caused by exposure to an infected bat.
The individual is currently hospitalized. The Brant County Health Unit, which reported the case, did not respond to questions about the circumstances of the incident, but it did say in a statement that all family members and close contacts of the individual are being assessed and offered post-exposure prophylaxis, a vaccine designed to prevent the spread of rabies to the nervous system. The individual’s identity is being withheld for their privacy.
“Our heartfelt thoughts are with this individual and their loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. Rabies, though rare, is a serious virus in humans. If you have direct contact with any animal known to carry rabies, you should seek immediate medical attention,” said Rebecca Comley, the medical officer of health with Brant County Health Unit, in a statement.
Since the federal government started tracking rabies in humans in 1924, the country has reported an extremely low number of cases, only 26 in the last 100 years. Quebec has had the highest number with 12, followed by Ontario with seven. The last known case in Canada occurred in British Columbia in 2019, caused by exposure to a rabid bat.
Animal cases also remain low. So far this year, Canada has reported 42 rabies cases in tested animals.
The reason Canada has kept its rabies cases low in both humans and animals is thanks to control programs. This includes running mass vaccinations of the prophylaxis in areas with high rabies rates, regularly surveilling wildlife, and testing animals involved in human exposure.
This isn’t the case globally, though. The World Health Organization estimates that rabies kills approximately 59,000 people per year with 95 per cent of those cases occurring in Africa and Asia, and half of the cases occurring in children under the age of 15. And the number of cases appears to be increasing.
According to a paper published in 2023 by the National Center for Biotechnology, there has been a rising number of worldwide rabies cases since the Covid-19 pandemic. The main factors seem to be the limited access and overcrowding of healthcare facilities post-pandemic and human-dog interactions. According to the paper, many adopted dogs were abandoned during the pandemic and due to food shortages, these stray dogs became aggressive.
Canada’s case numbers remain steady. Bats tend to have the highest number of reported rabies cases in the country with 36 so far this year, compared to the next highest: three skunks. This is because several provincial governments have introduced baiting programs, delivering oral rabies vaccinations to wildlife. These baits, however, tend to attract raccoons, foxes, and skunks, not bats.
If you are bit by a wild animal, the Brant County Health Unit advises immediately washing the wound with soap and water and seeking medical attention. Rabies is a viral infection that can be transmitted between mammals through saliva, most often bites or scratches. The virus travels through peripheral nerves to the nervous system, causing brain inflammation and eventually death, if untreated.
To avoid contracting rabies, the health unit suggests that you keep pet and livestock rabies vaccinations up to date, avoid unfamiliar animals, keep pets and children away from wildlife, feed your pets indoors as food outside can attract other animals, and don’t let your pets roam free.
If you do suspect that an animal in Ontario is rabid, you can report it to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Rabies Hotline at 1-888-574-6656.
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