A young man has died in a Hunter hospital after he contracted meningococcal disease, the region’s health authority says.
Hunter New England Local Health District confirmed on the weekend that the man was the second case, and the first to die from the illness, in the region this year.
The spokesperson would not say which Hunter hospital the man attended before his death. There were 10 confirmed cases of the disease in the Hunter New England region last year and nine cases in 2015.
"Meningococcal disease may be very severe and the community needs to be on the alert for its symptoms,” public health physician Dr Kathryn Taylor said. “If anyone suspects meningococcal disease, they should seek medical attention immediately.”
Up to 10 per cent of patients with invasive meningococcal disease in Australia die as a result of the infection.
The first symptoms of the disease may include pain in the legs, cold hands and feet and abnormal skin colour. Later symptoms may include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, dislike of bright lights, nausea and vomiting, a rash of reddish-purple spots or bruises, and drowsiness. Babies with the infection can be irritable, not feed properly and have an abnormal cry.
