Montreal Man Bitten by Rabid Bat

Montreal's public health officials are warning residents to be wary about contact with wild animals since a man was bitten by a rabid bat last week.

While on a walk with his dog at Lachine's Summerlea Park in Montreal, a man found a bat lying nearby in the grass. As he picked it up to give it a closer look it bit him and now he is being treated with antibiotics to fight the very often fatal virus reports CBC News. The victim of the bite contacted health authorities who took the bat for testing, and they have confirmed that the bat was infected with rabies. As CBC news reported, Jérome Latreille, a spokesman for the Montreal Public Health Department said that people should exercise caution when they find wild animals and should contact local authorities before touching them. According to the WHO, rabies is widely distributed around the world. More than 55,000 people die of rabies each year. About 95% of human deaths occur in Asia and Africa. When a person comes in contact with rabies they can avoid the deadly disease through a vaccination program, reports CTV News. Once symptoms appear however, the disease is almost always fatal.