Alexander Philogene: Perth man dies after being infected by aggressive meningococcal strain while overseas
A Perth student died abroad after contracting an aggressive form of Meningococcal B.
The speed at which bacterial infection claimed Alexander Philogene’s life is shocking.
The 21-year-old, known as Zander, began feeling unwell during a flight in Europe and died within hours.
At the time, he was studying abroad in his family’s hometown of Austria and embarked on the trip of a lifetime.
In a recent video, the Perth Modern School graduate shared these inspiring words: “The photo you take will never look good if you don’t take the time to stop and look around.”
His uncle, renowned South Australian chef Chris Jarmer, described him as “a very smart, very funny young boy”.
The tragedy occurred while he was returning from a trip to Portugal earlier this month.
Zander began showing symptoms before boarding the plane and worsened significantly within three hours of arrival.
He was taken to hospital, but it was too late.
“I can’t understand what a tragedy this is,” his uncle said.
“I think it is very important to get checked at the slightest symptom when traveling to a foreign country.”
Doctors believe Zander may have contracted a new subtype of the B-strain, which is aggressive, highly contagious and prevalent in the UK.
Zander has been vaccinated against the disease, but it is unclear whether he is protected against all strains.
Meningococcal Center Australia CEO Karen Quick said an additional jab would have saved him.
“If he had gotten the B vaccine, there’s a good chance he’d be here today,” he said.
The meningococcal vaccine is free in WA but only protects against four strains.
The B-strain vaccine costs about $400 for adults and $600 for infants.
It accounts for 80 per cent of all cases in Australia.
Advocates are campaigning for the WA government to make it free.
Zander’s family aims to start a scholarship in his honor at Perth Modern using donations from GoFundMe.
Tonight they are in Vienna and face the heartbreaking task of organizing the funeral.
