A case of invasive meningococcal disease has been notified in a two-year-old child from rural South Australia. Sadly, the child has passed away.
The strain has been identified as serogroup B.
SA Health has identified multiple people who had contact with the patient, of whom 15 people have been directed to receive clearance antibiotics.
Meningococcal health information has been distributed to contacts in accordance with the InvasiveMeningococcal Disease Communicable Diseases Network Australia: NationalGuidelines for Public Health Units.
There have been seven cases of invasive meningococcal disease reported in South Australia this year, compared to six cases recorded at the same time last year. Of the seven cases this year, all have been typed as serogroup B. This is the first death in 2022.
A total of 12 cases were reported in 2021. Of the 12 cases, six were serogroup B and six were serogroup W. There were three deaths due to meningococcal disease in 2021.
