Canada Reports Its First Human Rabies Case in 57 Years

Dr. Kieran Moore, the chief medical officer of health for Canada’s Ontario province, verified on Friday that a resident of Brantford-Brant had tested positive for rabies. Direct contact with a bat in Ontario is believed to have been the source of the infection.

Dr. Moore stated in a statement that no additional information regarding the individual will be disclosed in order to protect the family’s privacy.

In addition, he stated that family members, health care providers, and other close contacts were being evaluated and administered post-exposure prophylaxis as a precaution.

“Cases of human rabies are extremely rare due to effective public health prevention and control measures,” Moore asserted.

According to CP24, the most recent human incidence of rabies in Ontario was in 2012, but it was contracted outside of the country. The last detection of human rabies in Ontario occurred in 1967.

The Brant County Health Unit announced in a separate news release that the resident is current hospitalised.

“We are holding this individual and their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers during this extremely challenging period.” Rabies, despite its rarity, is a severe virus that affects humans, according to a statement from the county’s medical officer of health.

Rabies Cases in Canada

The bat is considered to originate from the Gowganda region of the Timiskaming region, according to the health unit.

Since 1924, there have been only 26 additional documented cases of rabies in humans on a national scale, with seven of these cases occurring in Ontario. All of those cases were fatal, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Through direct contact with the secretions of an infected animal, rabies can induce inflammation in the brain and spinal cord.

Moore stated that skunk, fox, and raccoon rabies variants are circulating in the province, despite the fact that rabies infections are prevalent in bats.

“If anyone in Ontario has direct physical contact with a bat, even if there is no visible bite or scratch, or if they have been bitten or exposed to saliva or infectious tissues from another animal species, they should seek immediate medical attention,” Moore asserted.

He emphasised the importance of obtaining urgent medical attention after encountering suspected rabies.

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