Invasive meningococcal disease cases spiking in some Canadian provinces

Public Health officials report cases of invasive menocal disease are spiking in Manitoba and Ontario the disease is commonly referred to as IMD and while doctors say it’s still relatively rare it can lead to serious complications and death symptoms include sudden fever drowsiness irritability intense headache vomiting stiff neck and a skin rash Dr Alan Grill says the bacteria that causes the disease spreads through saliva even when they don’t have symptoms yet they can spread it to other people through either sneezing or coughing on them if you’re sharing food and drinks if you’re kissing sharing cigarettes sharing lipstick even even when kids are in music class if they’re sharing instruments with mouthpieces they can get it that way the public health agency of Canada says vaccines are the best protection kids under five are at a higher risk given their immune systems are still developing young adults heading off to college or university also have a higher risk of exposure because they are like to live in close quarters Dr Grill stresses people should not panic but if a person has symptoms they should seek medical help right away you can get hearing loss or even have deafness associated with the infection you can have brain damage you can get seizures sometimes you can get a skin condition called Gang Green where you get a really bad infection and you actually need amputation and finally 10% of all cases of invasive menitis can be fatal if you were not vaccinated as a child child you can reach out to your local public health unit about your options some cities are offering catch-up clinics for people who may have missed their routine shots Katherine Ward Global News Toronto

Cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) are rising in some provinces, prompting health officials to warn Canadians about the serious risks and emphasize the importance of vaccination.

Last week, Toronto Public Health reported an increase in IMD cases since the beginning of 2024 in the region. So far this year, there have been 13 reported cases, surpassing the annual totals seen since 2002. Of those, two have been fatal, the agency stated.

This week, Manitoba reported a continuing spike in IMD cases since December 2023, while health officials in Kingston, Ont., warned of a rise in bacterial infection cases in February.

Global’s Katherine Ward has the details.

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