WA Health issue alert as child diagnosed with fifth case of deadly meningococcal disease

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

WA Health issue alert as child diagnosed with fifth case of deadly meningococcal ********

A child has been diagnosed with WA’s fifth case of meningococcal ******** this year, the Health Department has reported.

Health WA said the child had contracted meningoccoal serogroup B ******** but they were now recovering at home.

To protect the family’s privacy, the child’s age, gender and location have not been revealed.

Meningococcal ******** is a life-threatening but rare illness caused by a bacterial infection of the blood or membranes that line the spinal cord and brain, or sometimes other sites such as the throat or lungs.

So far this year out of the five meningococcal cases reported in WA, four cases were serogroup B and one was serogroup W.

Last year a total of nine cases were recorded but no deaths. Cases usually peak in winter and early spring.

Meningococcal bacteria is carried harmlessly in the back of the nose and throat by up to 20 per cent of the population at any one time.

The bacteria can be present in droplets discharged when sneezing or coughing, but it is not spread easily from person to person.

If the bacteria invades the bloodstream it can cause serious infections with long-term complications such as hearing loss, brain damage or limb amputations.

Symptoms of invasive meningococcal ******** may include high fever, chills, headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, and severe muscle and ****** pains.

Sometimes — but not always — symptoms may be accompanied by the appearance of a spotty red-purple rash that looks like small bleeding points beneath the skin or bruises.

Health WA urged anyone with those symptoms to seek attention urgently because meningococcal infection can progress rapidly.

Important signs to watch for in young children include fever, pale or blotchy complexion, vomiting, lethargy, poor feeding and rash.

Two types of meningococcal vaccine are available in WA, one which protects against serogroups A, C, W and Y, and another which protects against serogroup B.

The first is offered free to all children when they are 12 months old and again to adolescents aged 15 to 19.

The second vaccine is offered free for all Aboriginal children up to two years old.

Both vaccines are also free for people with certain medical risks or they can be requested for a fee.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Health #issue #alert #child #diagnosed #case #deadly #meningococcal #********

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up