Peel Public Health is warning residents to avoid contact with wild or unfamiliar animals after a bat found near Derry Road and McLaughlin Road in Mississauga tested positive for rabies.
Although the risk of encountering a rabid animal in Ontario is low, officials stress that once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal. Prompt medical care — including rabies vaccination and antibody treatment before symptoms develop — can prevent the disease.
Residents are urged not to touch, approach, or feed unknown wildlife, and to ensure pets and livestock are current on their rabies shots. Anyone bitten or scratched by a wild or stray animal should seek medical attention immediately. Bats found indoors should be reported to Animal Services at 311 and never handled personally.
Rabies attacks the central nervous system in warm-blooded animals, including humans, and is most often transmitted through bites. It can also spread if infected saliva enters an open wound or contacts the eyes, nose, or mouth.
Authorities advise avoiding any animal acting strangely, appearing injured, or behaving aggressively, and reporting it to Animal Services.