A two-year-old child has died after contracting a case of “invasive” meningococcal disease, health officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The child, from rural South Australia, came into contact with multiple people while potentially infectious – 15 of whom have been directed to receive clearance antibiotics.
The strain has been identified as serogroup B.
Despite being relatively rare, meningococcal can cause serious illness and is marked by a rapid deterioration.
So far this year, there have been seven cases of invasive meningococcal disease reported in South Australia, all of which were the same strain.
It is the first death from the disease for the state in 2022.
A total of 12 cases were reported in SA in 2021 – of which six were serogroup B and six were serogroup W.
There were three deaths from meningococcal disease in 2021.
According to health experts, meningococcal bacteria are carried by about 10 per cent of the population harmlessly at the back of the throat or in the nose.
It is then spread via droplets during coughing and sneezing or close contact such as kissing.
If the infection is detected early enough and the correct antibiotics are administered, most cases make a full recovery.
Originally published as 2yo child dies after contracting meningococcal
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