A surprising incident occurred during a school bus ride in Drumheller when a bat was discovered on board. Following contact with the bat last week, at least three students are undergoing treatment for potential rabies exposure, as reported by two parents to CBC News.
According to an email from Golden Hills School Division’s transportation department, the bat emerged from a hiding spot on the bus and started flying around while the bus was in motion. The transportation department informed parents that Alberta Health Services would contact the families of students present during the bat’s presence as a precautionary measure.
Alberta Primary and Preventative Health Services spokesperson Tom McMillan stated that health officials promptly responded upon learning of the incident on May 13. The bus driver and students who may have been exposed were evaluated, with a few receiving treatment for exposure. As of now, there are no reports of serious illness or adverse reactions among the affected students.
Although the detection of rabies has not been confirmed, ongoing treatment is necessary after contact with a bat. University of Calgary neuroscientist and rabies researcher Alan Jackson emphasized the importance of taking bat exposure seriously. Post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies, involving multiple vaccine doses over two weeks, is typically recommended in such cases.
In Alberta, over 4,000 individuals have received rabies post-exposure prophylaxis between 2016 and 2025. The province has recorded two fatal human rabies cases, in 1985 and 2007, out of a total of 28 cases in Canada, all stemming from exposure to bats or incidents outside the country.
It is crucial to seek medical assistance if symptoms of rabies appear, as the disease is almost always fatal once symptoms manifest in humans. The Alberta government reported 1,019 animal rabies cases in the province from 1927 to 2025, with bats and skunks comprising the majority of these cases.
