'People get very sick': Manitoba sees rise in rare, potentially fatal bacterial infection
A rise in cases of a rare bacterial infection in Manitoba has prompted health officials to issue a warning.
Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a bacterial infection that can cause meningitis (severe brain and spinal cord inflammation) and is potentially fatal.
A Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) spokesperson confirmed Ontario and Manitoba have seen activity this year, with Toronto Public Health reporting the highest number of recorded infections in the city since 2002.
Manitoba’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Carol Kurbis says the province normally sees about six cases annually of all types of meningococcal disease.
Since around mid-December, Manitoba recorded 19 cases. Eighteen of those are the W-strain.
Kurbis says other jurisdictions have seen a similar rise, but they’re not sure what’s driving it.
“Sometimes we see an increase in these types of infections post-pandemic or around respiratory virus seasons that are high,” she said in an interview on CTV Morning Live Winnipeg on Monday.
IMD symptoms can vary, but they come on rapidly.
Some people show hallmarks of meningitis, with a stiff neck, a purplish rash and nausea or vomiting.
Others develop sepsis-type symptoms, with an infection in their bloodstream.
“People get very sick. High fevers, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, and it progresses quite rapidly during the day,” Kurbis said.
“It’s not a mild presentation."
Kurbis says about one in ten people carries the meningococcal bacteria in the back of their throats, and most do not get sick from it.
“But every now and then, someone will develop a more invasive disease with presentations like that that can be quite serious.”
There are two types of meningococcal vaccines. One targets strain B, while the quadrivalent vaccine targets A, C, Y and W.
It is given routinely at 12 months and 10 years old as part of the province’s school immunization program.
“We follow the national recommendations and up until now, we were just immunizing the younger infants with C, but once we saw that the W strain was increasing here in the province, we changed that just earlier this year to make sure we’re covering all the infants for quadrivalent, as well.”
Kurbis also notes the province has a vaccine catch-up program. Details can be found on the province’s website.
- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagacé and Alex Arsenych
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump's Madison Square Garden event features crude and racist insults
Donald Trump took the stage Sunday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden to deliver his campaign's closing argument with the election nine days away after several of his allies used crude and racist insults toward U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and other critics of the former president.
B.C. election results: Mail-in ballots heavily favour NDP, only absentee ballots left to count
The majority of mail-in ballots tallied this weekend for the final count in B.C.’s nail-bitingly close 2024 provincial election went to the NDP, increasing the party’s chances of clinching a third term.
Here's when you need to change your clock back
Millions of Canadians will notice their clocks turn back by one hour on Nov. 3, marking the end of daylight saving time this year.
New polls show Sask. NDP leading over Sask. Party ahead of election day
A pair of new pre-election polls indicate that the Saskatchewan NDP has a slight lead ahead of election day.
17-year-old charged for driving 188 km/h on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
A 17-year-old Ottawa driver was caught speeding nearly 90 km/h over the speed limit on Highway 417.
Hollywood star Victor Garber gets emotional after surprise meeting with his former teacher in London, Ont.
Victor Garber got teary-eyed when he walked into a brunch in his honour Sunday in London, Ont.
Another bumpy week ahead as Trudeau faces deadlines from Liberal MPs, Bloc
Another week, another raft of imminent challenges to Justin Trudeau's leadership of both the country and the Liberal Party.
He lost a finger and survived a kidnapping. Then, this climber took on a 9,000-foot 'death-trap'
With jaw-dropping big wall ascents and a life packed with adrenaline and adventure, climber Tommy Caldwell has had a career worthy of – and captured by – a feature film.
How to make sure your used clothes go to the right place – and not to organized crime
Giving away used clothes for a second life feels like an act of charity – and it often is. But it’s become more complicated. A W5 investigation has discovered allegations that organized crime players are muscling in on charities to access their donation bins.