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LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — A father accused in his toddler son’s death from bacterial meningitis testified Monday that there never seemed to be a need to seek medical help because he thought his son only had the flu.

David Stephan was the first witness called by the defence in a trial he and his wife face in the death of their nearly 19-month-old boy. They are charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life.

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Stephan says his wife, Collet, only mentioned the possibility of meningitis the night before Ezekiel stopped breathing and was rushed to hospital in March 2012.

“What is meningitis?” Stephan said he asked his wife.

He said many of the symptoms of meningitis overlapped with that of the flu.

“There was nothing that would indicate he was in a situation where medical intervention would be required,” Stephan told court.

“We’re not abusive parents who inflict physical harm on our children.”

His lawyer asked Stephan to recount Ezekiel’s condition each day he was ill and whether he had been taken to a doctor.