“By the time they get to the hospital, they can be ailing due to quick onset symptoms,” Dr. James Kellner, a pediatrician and infectious disease specialist, told CTV News.

While Toronto Public Health has only logged 13 cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in 2024, that number is higher than the total number of recorded infections in any year since 2002.

According to Health Canada, up to 10 percent of cases are deadly. Ten to 20 percent of survivors experience life-altering consequences such as hearing loss, neurological disability, and amputated digits or limbs.

Earlier this year, public health officials warned about case numbers in Manitoba, Kingston, Ontario, and eastern Quebec.

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