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聽in far north Queensland have recently become unwell with聽, a life-threatening infection caused by the bacteria聽Neisseria meningitidis. Meanwhile, an adult and a child have been hospitalised with meningococcal聽.

Neisseria meningitidis聽is among the bacteria that frequently live quite harmlessly at the back of our throats, and can be spread from one person to another via saliva. Sometimes, these bacteria can invade the body via the bloodstream and聽聽(called 鈥渋nvasive meningococcal disease鈥�).

Although anyone can get meningococcal disease, certain groups are聽. These include infants, toddlers, adolescents, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, young people who live in close quarters, and people who smoke.

Meningococcal disease most frequently presents as a serious bloodstream infection (septicaemia) and can also spread to the brain (meningitis).

Symptoms of聽聽can include fever, shakes, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, and joint and muscle pain. If meningitis occurs, headaches, neck stiffness and sensitivity to light are also common.

Sometimes, meningococcal disease can also cause a characteristic rash that doesn鈥檛 disappear when聽. It may start as red or purple pin-prick spots, or as small bruises. But not everyone with meningococcal disease will present with a rash. And when it does occur, it鈥檚 often a late sign, indicating the infection is well advanced.

Infants and young children may not have the classic symptoms listed above. Instead, they may have difficulty feeding, irritability, a high-pitched cry, pale or blotchy skin, or聽.

While meningococcal disease is rare, it鈥檚 sudden and unpredictable. It鈥檚 notorious for how quickly it can progress to serious illness, often in otherwise healthy people. It has been described as the disease that can leave someone 鈥溾��.

Meningococcal disease requires urgent medical treatment, particularly antibiotics to stop the infection from progressing. Even with excellent medical care,聽聽who contract the disease may die, and around one-third of children and adolescents who survive the disease will develop permanent complications.

While meningococcal disease can be contagious, it鈥檚聽聽than many other infections (such as influenza or measles). The bacteria can spread via respiratory or throat secretions (saliva or spit), and person-to-person transmission generally requires prolonged, close contact.

There are different types of the聽N. meningitidis聽bacteria, called serogroups. The serogroups denote different structures of the surface of the bacteria and are referred to by letters of the alphabet. Serogroups A, B, C, W and Y cause聽聽around the world.

Two main types of聽聽are available in Australia. One type protects against serogroups A, C, W and Y (ACWY), and the other type protects against serogroup B.

The ACWY vaccine has been available for free under Australia鈥檚 National Immunisation Program聽, and is given at 12 months of age, and at age 14鈥�16.

The meningococcal B vaccine is聽聽but is only available for free under the National Immunisation Program for certain people. This includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children under two and people with聽.

Queensland recently introduced a聽聽to provide free meningococcal B vaccines to all infants and children aged six weeks to two years, and adolescents aged 15 to 19.

South Australia also has a state-funded聽聽for infants under one, alongside a school program for year 10 students.

In other parts of Australia, for children not meeting the聽, the meningococcal B vaccine needs to be purchased on a private script. Many parents aren鈥檛 aware of this vaccine, and cost can be a barrier too.

Most infants who start their meningococcal B vaccine course at less than one year old will require three doses, while any child aged over one will require two doses聽.

Australia has achieved good vaccine coverage against聽, and there are now very few cases of meningococcal disease caused by these serogroups (although the adult case recently聽聽had serogroup Y).

However, the number of people vaccinated against meningococcal B is much lower. This is partly because this vaccine is not part of the National Immunisation Program (other than for specific high-risk groups). But even in states with funded programs, there appears to be a lack of awareness.

Despite Queensland鈥檚 rollout of the free meningococcal B vaccine program this year, uptake of the vaccine has been low. There are 40,000 young children under two and 386,000 adolescents aged 15鈥�19 in Queensland who are聽.

So there鈥檚 less community-wide immunity to meningococcal B compared to other serogroups. Meningococcal B is now responsible for聽聽of all meningococcal disease cases in Australia 鈥� including the聽聽recently affected in Queensland and the聽.

罢丑别听聽has urged families to book in their eligible children for vaccination against meningococcal disease via free state-based programs in Queensland and SA.

In other states, families can request meningococcal B vaccination from their GP, and some hospital services provide 鈥渄rop in鈥澛犅爐o help families catch-up on missed vaccines, including the meningococcal B vaccine. Often hospital pharmacies will provide it at the lowest cost price.

The article was originally published in The Conversation as 聽Written by聽Phoebe Williams聽Paediatrician & Infectious Diseases Physician; University of Sydney;聽Rae-Anne Hardie聽Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney;聽Saskia van der Kooi, Research Officer, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney and聽Monica Lahra, Senior Staff Specialist Microbiologist NSW Health Pathology; Conjoint Professor, UNSW Medicine, UNSW Sydney.

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