The public health and social services centre in Quebec's lower Laurentians is advising parents of children at a private daycare to use preventative antibiotics after a child died and another wound up in the hospital due to a bacterial infection.
Laurentians health and social services (CISSS des Laurentides) spokesperson Myriam Sabourin confirmed that two children were infected by the Kingella kingae bacteria and that a young boy died in July after being infected with the bacteria.
Public health believes the young boy may have had a heart complication that led to his death.
The second boy, who was also one-and-a-half years old, was treated with antibiotics at the hospital and recovered.
Both children attended the same daycare.
The spokesperson said public health authorities sent a letter to parents of children who attended the daycare and staff members to take preventative antibiotics.
There is no fear of a larger outbreak at the moment.
Laurentians director of public health Dr. Eric Goyer said there is typically one to three Kingella infections each year in the area, but this is the first time that two cases were linked together.
"We are going to use antibiotics in the group where the two children were to reduce the individual risk and reduce the risk of transmission," he said. "This is a bacteria that responds very well to antibiotics."
"Kingella kingae is the leading pathogen associated with osteoarticular infection in young children in several countries," reads an article from the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Pediatrician Dr. Earl Rubin said it's most common to see bone or joint infections caused by the pathogen.
"It can just be in the bloodstream and cause fever without a clear focus, and rarely it can affect a heart valve," he said. "Death associated with a Kingella infection is very rare."
- With reporting from CTV News Montreal's Touria Izri.
