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Perth: Another child in hospital with meningococcal disease, bringing 2018 total to 26

Sarah BrookesEastern Reporter

A YOUNG child is recovering in hospital after being diagnosed with meningococcal disease.

The Department of Health today reported the child was diagnosed with meningococcal serogroup B disease.

While a vaccine to protect against the serogroup C type of meningococcal disease, which is now very rare, continues to be provided free to children at 12 months of age, a vaccine against serogroup B meningococcal infection is only available on prescription.

There have been 26 meningococcal cases reported to date in 2018, comprising 18 serogroup W, six serogroup B and two serogroup Y meningococcal infections.

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As a result of the increase in serogroup W and Y disease in WA over the past three years, a funded State-wide meningococcal ACWY vaccination program for adolescents aged 15 to 19 years started in 2017.

The State-funded meningococcal ACWY vaccine program was expanded to include children aged one to four-years-old in January this year.