Second WA child hospitalised with meningococcal disease in two weeks as health authorities issue warning

A second WA child has been hospitalised with meningococcal disease in just two weeks, prompting another warning from health authorities about the potentially deadly infection. WA Health issued the warning on Friday after the latest child was diagnosed with the serogroup B strain, which can be prevented with a vaccine. There have been six cases of meningococcal disease reported in WA so far this year, down from 13 at the same time last year. The vast majority of this year’s cases have been the B strain. WA Health said meningococcal bacteria were not easily spread from person to person and were carried harmlessly in the nose and throat by about 10 to 20 per cent of people at any given time. In rare cases, the bacteria can invade the bloodstream or tissues and cause serious infection.