Toronto Public Health seeking unidentified person who came into contact with a bat on June 25 suspected of rabies infection

Toronto Public Health (TPH) is reporting that an injured bat has exhibited symptoms of rabies. The bat was physically handled at the north entrance to 88-100 Harbour St by an unidentified person on Wednesday, June 25 at approximately 9:24 a.m. 

The unidentified person is described as approximately 5’8” in height, with a beard. They were wearing eyeglasses with a black t-shirt, black pants and white sneakers. The person was also holding a black water bottle.  

TPH is encouraging the person who physically handled the bat or someone who knows a person who fits this description to immediately call TPH through one of the following methods:  

• During regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday), call 416-338-7600. 

• After hours, call 311 (or 416-392-2489 if outside of Toronto) and ask to speak to the Healthy Environments manager on call, who can assess the risk of being infected with rabies from this exposure.   

Rabies is a viral infection that affects the nervous system of mammals including humans. Rabies can lead to death if it is left untreated before symptoms appear. The rabies virus is spread through the saliva of an infected animal, usually entering through a bite or more rarely a scratch. 

The overall risk of being exposed to rabies in the city is very low, unless direct contact is made with an infected animal’s saliva. TPH continues to encourage all residents to take the following preventive measures to reduce their risk of rabies exposure: 

• Ensure pets are up-to-date with rabies vaccinations. 

• Always supervise dogs. Dogs should not run loose in public spaces in the city, except in off-leash parks. 

• Stay away from all wild animals, even if they appear tame, injured or sick. Every animal is capable of unpredictable behaviour. 

• Keep pets away from wild animals and do not let pets roam unsupervised. 

More information is available on the City’s Rabies Prevention and Control webpage. 

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