When news broke that a Brantford daycare had been temporarily shut down after a rabid bat was discovered, my first reaction was relief that health officials acted swiftly. My second reaction was concern why are we still underestimating rabies in 2025?
Creative Minds daycare was ordered closed after the bat tested positive for rabies on Aug. 13, and it only reopened days later, once Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH) was satisfied that pest control and sanitation measures had been completed. Parents were understandably shaken, especially given the horrifying reality: rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.
The public tends to treat rabies as something from another era, but the risk is very real. Just last year, a child in Ontario died after waking up in a room with a bat. No bite marks were visible, and no one thought to seek medical care. That tragedy should have been a warning for all of us, yet here we are again, reminded the hard way that even “small” encounters with wildlife can carry deadly consequences.
This isn’t about fearmongering it’s about vigilance. The numbers tell the story. In 2024, 16 percent of bats tested in Ontario carried rabies, a sharp rise from previous years. That’s not just an animal health issue; that’s a public health crisis in the making.
Daycares, schools, and community spaces must be proactive, not reactive. GEPH did its job, but families deserve more than cleanup after the fact. They deserve prevention: regular inspections, better community education, and stronger awareness campaigns. Parents should not have to rely on luck or after-the-fact advisories to keep their kids safe.
And beyond institutional responsibility, we all have a role to play. If you find a bat in your home, don’t try to catch it. Call animal control. If you or your child have even the slightest chance of contact, seek medical help immediately. Vaccinate your pets. Spread the word that rabies isn’t “rare” it’s dangerous, and it’s here.
The Brantford daycare has reopened, but the story shouldn’t end with relief. It should end with change because when it comes to rabies, caution is the only cure.
