Young child, teen with meningococcal in WA

A young child and a teenager have been diagnosed with meningococcal in WA and are both recovering in hospital, the Department of Health says.

A young child and a teenager have been diagnosed with meningococcal in Western Australia, bringing the total number of cases for the year to 22.

The cases were unrelated and both patients were suffering from strain W of the disease, the Department of Health said on Wednesday.

Three people have died from meningococcal disease in WA this year - an adult in March, a young child in September and another adult last month.

Over the past three years, there has been an increase in the number of once rare strain W cases in WA - from an average of one case a year to two cases in 2014, four in 2015 and 14 cases to date this year.

This increase has prompted Health Minister John Day to pressure the federal government to provide a subsidy for the vaccine.

There is a global shortage for the vaccine for the B strain of meningococcal, as there is only one supplier worldwide.

Meningococcal disease is an uncommon, life-threatening illness caused by a bacterial infection of the blood and/or the membranes that line the spinal cord and brain, and occasionally of other sites, such as large joints.