Rabies

Humans can become infected with the rabies virus after coming in contact with the saliva of an infected animal. This can be through: 

• An animal bite
• A scratch or cut from an infected animal
• Contact with the moist tissues of your eyes, nose or mouth
• Contact with an open wound or sore

Most people develop symptoms of rabies within 3 to 8 weeks; however, symptoms can develop as early as 9 days or even years after coming in contact with the virus. Symptoms do not usually show up right after a bite or scratch from an infected animal because the virus moves slowly through the nervous system. Once symptoms of rabies appear, the outcome is almost always fatal.

Early symptoms of rabies can be vague. As the disease gets worse, symptoms can include: 

• Confusion and anxiety
• Hallucinations
• Difficulty sleeping
• Fear of water or difficulty drinking or swallowing (hydrophobia)
• Increased saliva in the mouth
• Slow moving paralysis

Generally, animals with rabies act strangely. They may be hostile or aggressive (furious rabies), try to bite, or may even act unusually timid (dumb rabies). Some animals can foam at the mouth or drool, because they have more saliva in their mouths when infected with the virus. Be careful around wild animals and pets that you do not know. Do not provoke or approach animals in the wild, or try to capture or feed them.

The following are some signs of a rabies infection in animals:

• Wild animals that act friendly or tame
• Animals that hide and isolate themselves
• Animals that are no longer fearful of humans or do not run away when approached
• Animals with a drooping head, strange facial expressions, sagging jaws, or inability to walk
• Extreme excitement or agitation
• Animals seen attacking objects or other animals without being provoked
• Animals that bite themselves
• Frothing or extra saliva in an animal's mouth

If you come across a bat, DO NOT TOUCH THE BAT!

If you have found a wild animal that appears sick, injured or orphaned, it may or may not need your help. For information on what to do if you find a wild animal, visit the City of Ottawa Other animals web page or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401).

If you find a bat in your home, DO NOT TOUCH THE BAT!

If there has been any potential contact with the bat:

• If it is in a room with a door, remove all people and pets and close the door.
• Do not attempt to capture or kill the bat.
• During regular business hours call 613-580-6744 or after-hours call 3-1-1, and ask to speak with a Public Health Inspector about the risk of rabies
• If it is necessary to capture the bat for testing it is recommended to contact a trained wildlife or animal control worker. A trained wildlife or animal control worker can also ensure there are no other bats in the home. OPH does not provide bat removal services.

If you are absolutely certain there has been no contact with the bat, close off the area the bat is found, remove people and pets from the area and open a window or exterior door to encourage the bat to leave, otherwise contact pest control services to remove a bat trapped in your home and also ensure there are no other bats.

If professional services are not available to assist then follow these steps to carefully capture the bat.

To prevent bats from entering your home again in the future visit: ontario.ca/page/prevent-conflicts-bats

More information:

Preventing Rabies from Bats: cdc.gov/rabies/prevention/bats

Starting Friday, January 5, 2018 the City will handle calls about sick and injured animals and will take on responsibility for transporting them.

If you see an injured domestic animal, such as a dog or cat, or small wild animal, such as a raccoon, squirrel, rabbit or skunk, please call 3-1-1. If you come across a bat, DO NOT TOUCH THE BAT! The City will assess the situation and dispatch a fully trained by-law officer to transport the animal, if needed. The by-law officer will bring the animal to either the Ottawa Humane Society or an emergency veterinary hospital.

For more information on this City program, visit the City of Ottawa Other animals web page or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401).

1. Share your information - OPH does not want to take your animal from your custody, we just want to make sure everyone involved is healthy.
2. Provide the person who was bitten or scratched with the following information:

• Your name
• Your address
• Your phone number

Providing this information to the person who was bitten/scratched will help OPH connect with you to ensure your animal is healthy and well. This may help the person who was bitten/scratched to avoid unnecessary medical treatment.

• Clean the wound with soap and warm water immediately for 15 minutes
• See a healthcare provider as soon as possible to look at the bite or scratch
• Report the bite to Ottawa Public Health by:
  • Online: Complete the Rabies Reporting Form 
  • Fax: Report all animal bites/exposures to Ottawa Public Health by completing the Animal Bite Exposure Reporting Form and faxing it to 613-580-9648.
  • Phone: You can reach a Public Health Inspector (PHI) to report directly or to discuss the risk assessment and recommendation of Rabies Post Exposure Prophylaxis (RPEP):
    • During regular business hours: phone 613-580-6744 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm), or
    • After hours, weekends, and statutory holidays: phone 3-1-1 and request to speak to the on-call PHI.
• If you know the animal owner and you can speak to the owner, collect as much information as possible for your health care provider and Ottawa Public Health, including the animal's vaccination records

• Try not to touch your pet because there may be saliva from the animal on your pet's fur
• Call your veterinarian to discuss the bite or scratch and to have your animal assessed
• Veterinarians can report the bite to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) at 1-877-424-1300

• Vaccinate your pets and ensure that their vaccines are up to date, as required by law
• Keep your pets on a leash when required
• Be in control of your pet at all times (including in leash free areas)
• Do not touch or feed wild animals or keep them as pets
• Do not try to trap or capture wild animals that enter your home
• Garbage can attract stray animals; ensure your garbage is protected and secure
• Do not touch or approach animals you do not know even if they appear friendly
• Some jobs can put you more at risk; talk to your health care provider about rabies vaccine if you work in a lab, in a veterinary clinic, or in an animal control or wildlife setting, to ensure you are protected
• When travelling, do not touch or approach stray or wild animals; discuss pre-exposure vaccine with your health care provider if you plan on spending extended time in countries where rabies is a risk

For further information or to report an animal bite, call Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 (Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm) or call 3-1-1 after hours (on the weekend and statutory holidays). 

If you have been bitten by an animal that might have rabies, the best protection is a series of injections, called rabies post exposure prophylaxis (RPEP). It is important to start RPEP as soon as possible after being bitten

• A total of 28 cases of human rabies have been diagnosed in Canada since 1924, the earliest year for which data are available.
• The most recent human case of rabies in Ontario was reported in Brantford-Brant in September of 2024. Suspected exposure was from a bat in Gowganda area of the Timiskaming region. This is the first human case of rabies in Ontario since 1967.
• Bats from all over Ontario regularly test positive for rabies virus. Annual summaries and maps of confirmed cases of rabies in Ontario can be found on the provincial government's website. Active surveillance for wildlife rabies in Ontario, including current cases, can be found on the province's rabies outbreak and control operations page and the surveillance map is updated weekly.

What is Rabies Post Exposure Prophylaxis (RPEP)?

RPEP is the only effective treatment known to prevent rabies. It is a combination of a rabies vaccine and Immunoglobulin given over a series of weeks.

I was bitten or scratched by an animal. How can I get RPEP?

It is important to see your doctor or health care provider if you have been bitten or scratched by an animal. The health care provider can assess if you have been potentially exposed to the rabies virus and whether RPEP is needed. The health care provider will contact Ottawa Public Health to order RPEP.

I was bitten on scratched by an animal, but I think I had rabies vaccine in the past. Do I need more doses?

If you have been vaccinated against rabies in the past and have been newly exposed to an animal with rabies you must receive additional doses of vaccine to be protected. Discuss this with your healthcare provider to be sure that you are protected. It is important to keep your vaccine records up to date to make sure a proper assessment can be done.

How is Ottawa Public Health (OPH) involved with RPEP?

• OPH is contacted by a health care provider who has assessed a patient with a potential exposure to the rabies virus after a bite or contact with an animal's saliva. OPH will deliver RPEP to the health care provider. Following the rabies vaccine schedule from the Canadian Immunization Guide is very important. OPH will call you to make sure that you receive the right doses on the right days. See the table in the "How is RPEP given to an exposed person?" section for more details.
• In 2023, OPH, working alongside local health care providers, coordinated the distribution of RPEP doses to 214 individuals with suspected rabies exposure. 
  
  [1] Ministry of Health and Long-term Care (MOHLTC), integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), extracted by Ottawa Public Health, September 6, 2024.

How is RPEP given to an exposed person?

Your health care provider will administer RPEP by providing two types of medications. One is rabies immunoglobulin (RabIg). RabIg is given with a needle to provide antibodies to fight the rabies virus immediately. RabIg is given into and around the wound or the site of exposure if the bite or scratch is no longer visible. If not all RabIg can be given into the site of exposure, the remainder is given in an arm or leg that is not being used for the rabies vaccine. The second medication is a vaccine against rabies that is given in four or five doses on different days and on a very specific schedule to stimulate your immune system to make its own antibodies against rabies.

It is always preferred that you begin RPEP on the same day that the bite or exposure to rabies occurred. On the day that you begin RPEP, one dose of vaccine and the RabIg are administered. Additional doses of vaccine are given on days 3, 7, 14 and sometimes on day 28. Your health care provider and OPH will determine if a fifth dose on day 28 is required.

RPEP schedule as per the Canadian Immunization Guide*

*Canadian Immunization Schedule for RPEP

Do I have to pay for RPEP? 

All doses of RPEP are provided free of charge by OPH to Ottawa residents who are considered to be potentially exposed to the rabies virus.

I can't make it to a scheduled appointment on one of the days in the schedule. Can I skip a dose or reschedule?

No. If you cannot make an appointment, it is very important that you call OPH and your health care provider right away. In order to be effective, the schedule for RPEP MUST be followed exactly and all doses must be given.

It is important that RPEP is started as soon as possible after the bite or scratch for the best possible protection. RPEP is effective in preventing rabies disease if given correctly.