Toronto has reported an outbreak of meningococcal disease that resulted in the death of one person and infection of two others with the bacterial infection. The three cases involved individuals aged between 20 and 30 years who began experiencing symptoms between July 15 and 17, according to a press release issued by Toronto Public Health (TPH) on Thursday.

The health unit states that the infected individuals were born outside Canada, in countries that do not provide routine childhood immunization against the disease, and all three individuals were recently confirmed to have the same rare strain of meningococcal disease from serogroup C.

Most invasive meningococcal infections are linked to a bacterium called Neisseria meningitidis, which causes infections of the lining of the brain, spinal cord, and bloodstream.

"People spread meningococcal bacteria to others by sharing respiratory and throat secretions (saliva or sputum). Generally, close or prolonged contact is required to spread these bacteria," says TPH.

More specifically, the infection can spread through kissing, coughing, and sharing common items such as eating utensils, cups, cigarettes, and musical instruments. Symptoms of the infection include fever, aches and joint pain, headache, stiff neck, and light sensitivity.

The disease is known to progress rapidly and complications may include low blood pressure, seizures, hearing loss, limb amputation, brain damage, or death. However, bacterial infections are relatively rare in Toronto due to the availability of routine vaccines for residents.