A second WA child is in hospital with meningococcal in the space of just two weeks, forcing health authorities to issue another warning over the potentially deadly disease.
WA Health issued the latest warning on Friday, saying another child had been hospitalised with the serogroup B strain, for which there is a vaccine.
Cases across the state have been down this year so far, with six reported infections compared to 13 last year.
The vast majority of these have been the B strain.
“Meningococcal bacteria are not easily spread from person-to-person,” the warning read.
“The bacterium is present in droplets discharged from the nose and throat when coughing or sneezing but is not spread by saliva and does not survive more than a few seconds in the environment.
“Meningococcal bacteria are carried harmlessly in the back of the nose and throat by about 10-20 per cent of the population at any one time. Very rarely, the bacteria invade the bloodstream or tissues and cause serious infections.”
Children in WA all get the vaccine against strains A, C, W and Y for free in their first year of life.
All year 10 students or 15-19-year-olds can get the ACWY jab for free.
“Due to a higher rate of meningococcal disease in Aboriginal children in WA, the MenACWY vaccine is offered free to Aboriginal children aged from six weeks to 12 months old,” a WA Health spokesperson said.
“The MenB vaccine is free for all Aboriginal children aged up to two years old.”
About 5 to 10 per cent of infections can be fatal, and about 15 per cent of cases lead to long-term complications.
Symptoms can include high fever, chills, headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, severe muscle and joint pains, a spotty red-purple rash, pale or blotchy complexion, vomiting, lethargy and poor feeding.
A WA adult died with a serogroup Y infection in July.
