15-month-old with rare infection fights for his life in Toronto

A baby boy is battling an extremely rare bacterial infection that forced doctors at a Toronto hospital to amputate part of his legs.

Ethan Faria, who is 15-months-old, was first thought to have pneumonia or bronchitis, but when his mother took him to the hospital with a fever and a cough last month the boy was immediately raced to SickKids hospital in an ambulance. There, he went into septic shock as the infection ravaged his body.

"They gave him every drug known to man to keep him alive. Just to keep him alive ... but he's alive," the boy's mother Rachel Faria said.

"His arms were purple. His legs were purple. His fingers started to turn. It was horrendous."

Ethan Faria has since been diagnosed with Haemophilus influenzae Type B, also known as Hib, a dangerous bacterial infection that can be life-threatening.

In Ethan's case, doctors have been forced to amputate both of his legs below the knees and may have to remove part of his right arm, as well.

His parents still have no idea how he contracted the dangerous disease. Rachel Faria says all of her son's shots are up to date and she can't think of an obvious way her son would have been sickened.

Children under five are especially at risk of contracting the disease, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says. The bacteria are spread from person to person, often through coughing or sneezing or by touching contaminated objects.

There is a vaccine for the disease, which is typically given as part of a combined vaccination, PHAC says. Once contracted, the disease must be treated with antibiotics, though five per cent of children diagnosed with Hib die.

The disease can also lead to bacterial meningitis, which can target the brain. Among those who survive Hib, about one in three suffers brain damage, PHAC warns.

Dr. Allison McGeer, a microbiologist and infectious disease consultant, said Hib is a rare occurrence in Canada.

"Before we had vaccine in the mid-1980s, there were about 900 cases in Canada every year, now there are about 30 cases every year," she said.

"It still happens, but it's very rare now."

Friends rally around family

While the Faria family remains by their son's side, friends have started crowdfunding campaign to support them.

Anita Evans, who started the fund with Sara Gregory, said she realized she had to do it when Rachel Faria said she would have to go back to work because the family couldn't survive on one income.

"I said 'you don't worry about that,'" Evans said.

The campaign is hoping to raise $50,000 that will help Rachel Faria stay with Ethan during his treatment, and will also help pay for medical equipment and prosthetics for the boy in the future. It's already raised more than $35,000 in six days.

"The more that they get, the more quality of life he's going to have and that's what he deserves," said Gregory.

For now, Ethan Faria continues to be treated at SickKids.