Child diagnosed with meningococcal in WA

A WA child has been diagnosed with meningococcal strain W, the second case for the state this year, the Department of Health says.

A child has been diagnosed with meningococcal in Western Australia - the second case this year.

The Department of Health said on Tuesday the child was recovering in hospital from strain W and their close contacts had been provided with information, and where appropriate, antibiotics and a vaccine.

Health Minister John Day this week announced a free vaccine against the potentially deadly meningococcal strains A, C, W and Y for teenagers aged 15 to 19.

He said the incidence of the W strain had been rising since 2013, but jumped from four in 2015 to 14 last year, compared to three cases during the four-year period to 2014.

More than 150,000 WA students and young adults are expected to be vaccinated over the three-year program.

A vaccine to protect against strain C is provided free to children at 12 months of age, and a vaccine against strain B is available on prescription.

Of the 22 cases reported in WA last year, five were strain B, two were strain Y and 14 were serogroup W, up from the long term average of about one serogroup W case per year.

Meningococcal is a life-threatening but uncommon illness caused by a bacterial infection.


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Source: AAP


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