Canada-India tensions spark travel concerns among members of Indian diaspora
As tensions escalate between India and Canada, some in the Indian diaspora say they're concerned about how the situation might affect travel between the two countries.
An Ontario child died last month after coming into contact with a , which was the first known human rabies case in Canada since 2019.
Officials warn that , while the deadly disease is also present in certain populations of skunks, raccoons and foxes.
"Rabies has been around for a long time and it's going to be around for a long time," infectious animal disease expert J. Scott Weesetold CTVNews.ca. "It's present in various wildlife species in Canada, and we're not going to eliminate that. So it's just a matter of being aware of the risk and what to do."
Weese is a professor and chief of infection control at the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College. He says although human rabies cases remain very rare in Canada, without quick medical intervention the disease is "invariably fatal."
"We've got good ways to control rabies, we have excellent ways to prevent it after exposure," he said. "It's usually just a lack of recognition: someone has an encounter with a wild animal, doesn't realize it might be rabies, so they don't seek out the help that would prevent disease."
Here's what you need to know about rabies:
Infected animals spread the rabies virus through their saliva, most often with a bite. In the case of the Ontario child, the parents didn't see any signs of bites or scratches after finding the bat and so they didn't seek immediate medical help.
"If it's a larger animal and a larger bite, people pay attention to the bite because it's big and it hurts and you can tell there's something there," Weese explained. "With a bat bite they're really small or you don't even notice them 鈥 and you can't always find a bat bite very easily too, because their teeth are really small."
The recent death in Ontario was the province's first domestic human rabies case since 1967 and only the recorded in Canada in the past century. All were fatal. The five most recent cases since 2000 have occurred in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec.
"Odds of recovery once you develop signs of rabies are really low," Weese said. "Rabies is one of the worst diseases you can get of any sort, because you're almost always going to die."
An estimated 59,000 people die from rabies worldwide every year, with 95 per cent of cases occurring in Africa and Asia. Approximately 99 per cent of all human cases start with a bite from an infected dog. Dog rabies is not present in Canada.
Every Canadian case since 1967 has involved bats, which are the most widely distributed species with rabies in Canada.
The disease has also been found in skunks in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario; raccoons in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick; and foxes in Nunavut, Northwest Territories and the northern parts of Quebec, Manitobaand Labrador.
Weese says the disease has been detected in Ontario foxes too, while raccoon rabies in Canada is mostly confined to the province's St. Catharines area. Because of bats, however, risks remain throughout the country.
"A raccoon can still get rabies from a bat," Weese added. "The other thing with raccoons is there's a lot of raccoon rabies in the U.S. and it can always sneak back in."
Weese's overall message to Canadians is simple: don't touch wildlife.
"Wildlife is fun to watch," he said. "And there's a lot of temptation to try to feed them or help them or touch them, and it's just bad for them and it's bad for us."
Acting fast is key to survival, Weese says, and that involves contacting your local public health officials as soon as you've been bitten, scratched or exposed to a potentially infected animal.
Treatment typically starts with antibodies to neutralize potential virus, followed by a series of four vaccines over two weeks delivered in the arm. This must be done before symptoms appear, which can . Early symptoms like fever and headaches can lead to others like seizures and hallucinations before death.
"The treatment is very effective and it's very straightforward, and I've been there with my family," Weese said. "We had a rabies exposure in our house years ago. So all of us, kids, we went through post-exposure prophylaxis and it's straightforward."
Rabies vaccines are required for dogs and cats in Ontario, and largely part of routine vaccinations for pets in other parts of Canada. If your pet has come into close contact with a potentially infected animal, you should contact a veterinarian for a rabies vaccine booster.
"We try to boost their immunity and then they might get an observation or a quarantine period, depending on their vaccination status," Weese said. "That's another reason we want dogs and cats vaccinated, because if they do have an exposure, if they're properly vaccinated and they get a booster, their quarantine period is pretty minimal and pretty easy. If they're unvaccinated then they can have a long quarantine."
As tensions escalate between India and Canada, some in the Indian diaspora say they're concerned about how the situation might affect travel between the two countries.
Shockwaves spread around the world Thursday at the death of Liam Payne, who shot to stardom as a member of British boy band One Direction and had to deal with intense global fame while still in his teens.
The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is investigating after an employee was found deceased at a Cambridge grocery store.
The U.S. military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels early Thursday, a major escalation in the American response to the rebels' attacks on Mideast shipping lanes that appeared to be a warning to Iran as well.
Mounties have released startling new details about their investigation into the disappearance of Amber Manthorne, who was reported missing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago, and is believed to have met with foul play.
U.S. vice-presidential candidate JD Vance said "no," former U.S. president Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election "by the words" the Ohio Republican would use, when asked Wednesday what message it sends to independent voters that he has not directly answered that question.
Liberal MPs who have spent the last 10 days organizing to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside from the leadership of the Liberal party plan to plead their case directly to him at next Wednesday's caucus.
Two people robbed an Ontario convenience store at knifepoint. One of them, police say, was wearing a Halloween costume.
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris engaged in a combative first interview with Fox News on Wednesday, sparring on immigration policy and shifting policy positions while asserting that if elected, she would not represent a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency.
An Ottawa man was arrested after taking a shower in a stranger's house, Ottawa police say.
S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh 脷xwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.
The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.
Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it鈥檚 written in the aurora borealis.
Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.
James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.
This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.
There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.