WA Health issues meningococcal warning as one adult recovers in hospital with the bacterial infection

Health officials say a meningococcal case in WA was confirmed last week.

Wa Health said that an adult was diagnosed with Meningokok Serogroup B and healed in the hospital on Tuesday.

This is the sixth case reported in WA in 2025. This year, five of the six meningococcal cases in WA are type B.

Meningococcal disease is rare, but bacterial infection can rapidly threaten life if it enters the bloodstream or spinal cord and the membranes lining the brain.

But it does not spread easily from person to person.

Bacteria is in droplets of nose or throat and is usually spread by coughing or sneezing during close or long contact.

Approximately 10-20 percent of the population carries bacteria behind the nose or throat at any time, while meningococcal bacteria do not survive more than a few seconds in the environment.

The symptoms of invasive meningococcal disease may contain high fever, tremor, headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, confusion or severe muscle and joint pain.

Authorities are more difficult to detect in very young children, so fever, pale or stained skin, vomiting, drowsiness (inactivity), weak feeding and rash are important symptoms.

Meningococci have several strains or serogroups. The most common is A, B, C, W and Y types.

A, a combined vaccine for A, C, W and Y strains is free for all 12 -month children through the National Vaccination Program, but is not vaccinated for protection against the B.

Aboriginal children can reach the Menacwy vaccine up to six weeks and 12 months due to higher prevalence between the population of the first nations. They also receive the Menb vaccine up to two years of age.

In 2024, WA had 13 meningokok cases and a death.

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