THE ESSENTIAL
- A child died of rabies in Canada, in the province of Ontario.
- A bat was found in his room and could, according to local authorities, be the animal responsible for the contamination.
- In this region there has been an increase in the number of bats affected by rabies.
Last Tuesday, October 2, a child died of rabies in the province of Ontario, Canada. A bat was found in his room and could, according to local authorities, be the animal responsible for the contamination.
Rabies: first human death in Ontario since 1967
As a reminder, the rabies virus is, according to the Pasteur Institutepresent in the saliva of infected animals (dog, cat, wild mammal, etc.). Transmission to humans occurs through direct contact with the saliva of a contaminated animal. This can be done during a bite, a lick (if the skin is a little scratched) or even a scratch. On the other hand, human-to-human contamination is very rare and restricted to cases of transmission from mother to fetus or during organ transplants.
Every year, there are 59,000 deaths from rabies worldwide. But these mainly take place in Asia and Africa, areas which have “great difficulties in accessing post-exposure prophylaxis for the most vulnerable populations.” This prophylaxis includes vaccination (with four or five intramuscular injections of vaccine over a month) and the administration of an anti-rabies serum. Outside of Asia and Africa, deaths due to rabies are therefore rare. In the province of Ontario, this is the first time since 1967 that a human has died.
Rabies, a deadly disease
Once the disease begins, it is always fatal, says the Pasteur Institute of Lille. So, even though the child was treated at the hospital, he died from this illness. According to Dr. Malcolm Lock of the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, the victim was exposed to the virus during the month of September.
In southern Ontario, Dr. Malcolm Lock says the percentage of bats with rabies in the southern Ontario region has increased from less than 10% to 16% in recent years. “It is extremely important that anyone exposed in any way [aux chauves-souris] consult a doctor”, he indicated to the BBC.
In France, rabies was detected in a bat in Mayenne last August. In a press release, the office of the prefect of Mayenne Marie-Aimée Gasparia indicated that it was “of the first case detected in the department“.
