Western Australia has had its first case of meningococcal for 2018 after an adult patient was diagnosed with the potentially deadly disease over the festive period.
The Health Department says the patient has recovered and been released from hospital after being diagnosed with the serogroup Y strain of the bacteria.
Six people died and 46 cases of meningococcal occurred in WA during 2017, double the number reported in 2016, with the increase attributed to new, virulent strains of serogroup W and Y.
Meningococcal disease is an uncommon, life-threatening illness caused by a bacterial infection of the blood and/or the membranes lining the spinal cord and brain, and occasionally other areas such as the throat or large joints.
The bacterium is in droplets discharged when coughing or sneezing, but cannot be spread by saliva and does not survive more than a few seconds in the environment.
A state-funded vaccine for the strains A, C, W and Y is available for those aged 15 to 19, with those who missed out at school able to get a free jab from their GP, community health clinics and some university health centres.
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