Person hospitalized for Ontario’s first human case of rabies since 1967
Written by The Canadian Press on September 6, 2024
BRANT, Ont. — A public health unit in southern Ontario is reporting the province’s first human case of rabies in more than half a century.
The Brant County Health Unit says the person is in hospital after being exposed to rabies in the Timiskaming region in the northern part of the province.
The health unit did not say how the person was exposed, but noted that bats across Ontario have tested positive for rabies.
However, officials say the virus is very rare in people, and hasn’t been detected in a human in Ontario since 1967.
The virus causes inflammation of the spinal cord and brain, and is very serious.
Officials say there has never been a documented case of human-to-human rabies spread, but the patient’s family is being monitored for symptoms and offered treatment nonetheless.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.
The Canadian Press