A zoonotic virus causing acute encephalitis in humans and animals
An 11-year-old in northern Ontario has died from rabies after a bat came to rest on his face in 2024. Medical teams diagnosed rabies after symptoms emerged 19 days later. The Canadian Medical Association Journal notes early post-exposure treatment is crucial and that bat bites can leave no visible marks.
Biologists report white-nose syndrome has reached Canada’s Northwest Territories, raising urgent questions about bat populations and North America’s winter hibernacula. The Pd fungus threatens thousands of hibernating bats, with experts forecasting impacts across the region while researchers race to understand its spread.
Three rabid beavers attacked several people at Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland, injuring a teen and prompting post-exposure rabies treatment. The beaver tested positive for rabies and was euthanized; a second rabid beaver attack occurred weeks later and led to park closures.