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A baby died of a meningococcal infection in northwestern Queensland.
The child is one of 34 Queenslanders who have been diagnosed with this year's bacterial infection and one of three cases of meningococcal disease in babies in the northwestern state in recent weeks.
Finn Smith who lost some of his limbs during his battle against the deadly meningococcus. Image: Lachie Millard
But the public health experts, who have found and treated the contacts of babies, say that the three cases are distinct and do not constitute an epidemic.
They say that the cases concerned different strains of the disease.
In Australia, the 5 most common types of meningococcal bacteria are A, B, C, W and Y.
As part of the national immunization program, the combined meningococcal A, C, Y and W vaccine is offered free to 12-month-old infants and 14- to 16-year-olds.
All adolescents aged 15 to 19 who missed the vaccine at school are also eligible for a free injection at a GP.
However, a vaccine against B meningococcal B strain, Bexsero, has not yet been approved by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, but if parents can afford it, they can shell out hundreds of dollars for vaccination of each child.
Meningococcal disease is a rare but serious disease that can kill in hours.
For those who survive, they may experience loss of arms and legs, deafness, scars, headaches, blurred vision, pain and stiffness of the joints, and learning difficulties.
Finn Smith, a boy from Sunshine Coast, lost his left knee, right hand, right foot, and fingers of his left hand after contracting meningococcal disease in November 2013, at the age of 13 months.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, joint pain, sensitivity to light, sudden fever and rash of red-purple pimples.
Parents are advised to take their children to hospital if they have a high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, drowsiness, confusion, sudden or severe joint pain, rash or spots, aversion to bright lights and vomiting.
For more information, call 13 HEALTH.
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