Ontario is reporting its first domestically acquired human case of rabies in half a century.
On Friday, Dr. Kieran Moore, the province's chief medical officer of health, confirmed that a resident of Brantford-Brant tested positive for rabies.
"The illness is suspected to have been acquired from direct contact with a bat in Ontario. To ensure privacy for the family, no further information about the individual will be released," Moore said in a statement.
He added that family members, health care providers and other close contacts were being assessed and offered post-exposure prophylaxis as a precaution.
"Cases of human rabies are extremely rare due to effective public health prevention and control measures," Moore said.
Before Friday, Ontario's most recent case of rabies in humans was in 2012, but that was acquired outside the country.
The last locally acquired case of human rabies in Ontario was reported in 1967.
In a separate news release, the Brant County Health Unit said the resident is in hospital.
"Our heartfelt thoughts are with this individual and their loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. Rabies, though rare, is a serious virus in humans," the county's medical officer of health said in a statement.
The health unit noted that the bat is believed to be from the Gowganda area of the Timiskaming region.
Nationally, there are only 26 other known cases of rabies in humans since reporting began in 1924, including seven in Ontario. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, all those cases were fatal.
Rabies can cause brain and spinal cord inflammation, and spreads to humans through direct contact with the saliva of an infected animal.
While rabies infections are commonly found in bats, Moore said skunk, fox, and raccoon rabies variants are circulating in the province.
"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 said.
He noted that seeking immediate medical care following suspected rabies exposure is critical.
