Officials at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children on Wednesday confirmed a child has meningitis caused by a multi-drug-resistant strain of the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria.
The strain of bacteria, a substrain of Streptococcus pneumoniae 19A, is not covered by the pneumococcal vaccine commonly given to children.
A hospital spokesperson said the child did not contract the strain of bacteria, which has been around for years, at the hospital.
Officials wouldn't comment on the child's condition.
Meningitis is an infection of the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord and brain, and can affect the lining of the brain or cause a blood infection.
The symptoms are flu-like and include fever, severe headache, stiff neck, nausea, sleeplessness, sensitivity to bright lights and respiratory infection. They also include a reddish-purple bruise-like rash.
The strain of bacteria, which more commonly causes ear infections, can be spread by direct contact with the saliva of an infected person.
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