Boy, 11, dies from rabies after waking to bat on his face as warning issued over rare virus

An 11-year-old boy has tragically died from rabies, weeks after he awoke to find a bat resting on his face.

A report, which was published in the Canadian Medical Journal on Monday (29 June), detailed the incident that took place in summer 2024 when the boy was on a visit to a cottage in Ontario with his family.

The Canadian boy, who wasn’t named in the report, awoke to find the creature lying across his nose and mouth and quickly swatted it off, as his father caught it in a pot and released it outside.

However, because the child appeared to be fine and had no visible bite marks or scratches, and his parents didn’t think the bat behaved in an erratic way, they opted not to seek medical help.

19 days later, though, he started experiencing swelling, facial tingling and numbness, as well as persistent vomiting.

The 11-year-old was rushed to urgent care, where he was prescribed antiviral medication used to treat infections caused by herpes viruses, as doctors presumed he might have Bell's palsy, reports the BBC.

The boy woke up to find the bat lying on his face but had no visible bite marks or scratches (Getty Stock Image)

But, amid back-to-back visits while doctors tried to work out what was going on, he developed a fever of 39C, difficulty swallowing, confusion, and visual hallucinations.

After his condition rapidly worsened, he was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit, where he was eventually diagnosed with rabies following testing.

The boy heartbreakingly died 17 days after being admitted to the hospital, as infection is almost always fatal once symptoms develop.

The medical journal published the paper in hopes of raising awareness about the potential of catching the disease from bats, as some have teeth so small they leave no visible bite marks.

Pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr Brian Hummel said in the report: “It was important to us and to the family to take the opportunity to find learning experiences and lessons that we could take from his case to try and help spread awareness and understanding of rabies infection and risks.”

It's recommended to get checked out as soon as possible, before symptoms develop (Getty Stock Image)

What is rabies?

Rabies is a rare but serious infection that's usually caught from a bite or scratch from an infected animal.

As mentioned, it’s almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but vaccination and early treatment can prevent it.

It’s found throughout the world, but it's very rare in the UK, but more common in parts of:

• Asia
• Africa
• Central and South America

The NHS website outlines that rabies is spread by mammals, such as dogs, bats, raccoons and foxes. In the UK, it's only found in some bats.

You can get rabies if:

• You're bitten or scratched by an infected animal
• An infected animal licks your eyes, nose or mouth, or you have a wound that's licked by an infected animal

Rabies can be prevented if you get treatment quickly, so it’s really important to get help even if you've been vaccinated.

If you're abroad, get medical help as soon as possible and do not wait until you get back to the UK.

You can find more information about rabies on the NHS website.