Aussies issued urgent health warning as child rushed to hospital with potentially deadly meningococcal disease

A child in Western Australia has been rushed to hospital after being diagnosed with a strain of meningococcal disease. 

Meningococcal is an uncommon, life-threatening illness caused by a bacterial infection of the blood or the membranes that line the spinal cord and brain.

The infection can also occasionally be found at other sites, such as the throat, lungs or large joints.

The child is one of five people diagnosed with serogroup B this year, while another patient has been diagnosed with serogroup Y. 

‘In 2025, a total of 13 meningococcal cases were reported: 12 were serogroup B and one was serogroup Y,’ WA Health said in a warning on Friday. 

Most people with the disease recover after treatment but the disease can lead to death in five to 10 per cent of patients.

Around 15 per cent of people may experience long-term complications such as hearing loss, limb amputations or brain damage. 

‘Meningococcal bacteria are not easily spread from person-to-person,’ the warning said.

‘The bacterium is present in droplets discharged from the nose and throat when coughing or sneezing, but is not spread by saliva and does not survive more than a few seconds in the environment.

‘Meningococcal bacteria are carried harmlessly in the back of the nose and throat by about 10 to 20 per cent of the population at any one time. 

‘Very rarely, the bacteria invade the bloodstream or tissues and cause serious infections.’

WA Health warned symptoms of invasive meningococcal disease can include high fever, chills, headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, confusion and severe muscle and joint pains. 

‘Sometimes, but not always, symptoms are accompanied by the appearance of a spotty red-purple rash that looks like small bleeding points beneath the skin or bruises,’ the notice said.

‘Young children may not complain of symptoms, so fever, pale or blotchy complexion, vomiting, lethargy [inactivity], poor feeding and rash are important signs.’

There are two types of vaccine available, one against four serogroups of the disease (serogroups A, C, W and Y) and the other against serogroup B. 

The MenACWY vaccine is free for all children at 12 months old and offered to all Year 10 students, with a free catch-up program for adolescents aged 15 to 19 years old.

The vaccine is offered free to Aboriginal children from six weeks to 12 months old and the MenB vaccine is free for all Aboriginal children aged up to two years old.

Both vaccines are also free for people of all ages with certain medical risk conditions. 

Those not eligible for free vaccines can request them through an immunisation provider for a fee.