Child dies of rabies after bat flies into bedroom and bites them while sleeping

Rabies can be transmitted to humans through some animals

A child has died of rabies after a bat bit them while they were sleeping. The youngster was taken to hospital in September after the encounter with the bat.

Officials have withheld the child's name, age, and gender to protect the family's privacy. Rabies can be transmitted to humans through animals, including bats, raccoons, coyotes, foxes and skunks

The child's parents did not see any signs of infection in their child. It marks the first confirmed rabies case in Ontario, Canada, since 1967.

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Following the incident, the child was not given a vaccination against rabies. The virus has one of the highest mortality rates, with almost all people infected by a rabid animal dying, Mirror reports.

A vaccine for the virus is available and has a 100 per cent effective rate against it if administered within 48 hours. The death was announced by Malcolm Lock, a doctor at the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, at a health board meeting on October 2.

He said: "They woke up with a bat in their room. The parents looked, didn't see any signs of a bite or scratches or saliva and didn't seek getting a rabies vaccine."

The incident occurred in an area north of Sudbury which houses hundreds of lakes and at least four different kinds of bat. Bats have small fangs which means it is difficult to see potential bite marks.

Doctors recommend that anyone who comes into contact with the animal get a rabies vaccine to be safe. Bats found active during the day, on the ground or unable to fly should be treated with caution.

Ontario's bat population has been reduced since the discovery of a fungal disease in 2006. The disease was first found in New York and causes a fungal growth on bat skin, which then disintegrates over time.

Their ability to hibernate is then disrupted and it causes them to feel malnourished and lack energy. Rabies affects bats in a similar way to how it affects humans, with the nerve cells in the brain replicated rapidly and causing a series of key symptoms.

Fatigue, fever and headaches are all early signs of the infection. It then advances into respiratory spasms and a tightness in the chest.

There can also be confusion, aggression and seizures in patients. They may also experience limb paralysis as the infection takes over.

Rabies tends to lead to a coma and death within a few weeks after the onset if the vaccine is not administered properly. Dr Lock added: "It's extremely important that anyone who has a form of exposure [to bats] seeks medical attention,’ adding that treatment and vaccination should be quickly sought, even if bite marks are not immediately visible."