South Australia records first meningococcal death since 2023 after young adult dies

Detailed summary

A young adult has died after contracting meningococcal disease and spending more than a week on life support.

A young adult has died after contracting meningococcal disease in South Australia.

The person had been on life support and in a critical condition for just over a week with serogroup B meningococcal disease before dying.

It is the first death from the disease in South Australia since a 36-year-old died from invasive meningococcal in July 2023.

South Australian health authorities said last week that they had traced seven close contacts for the young adult, who all received antibiotics to prevent further transmission of the disease.

Health Minister Blair Boyer said at the time meningococcal needed to be taken seriously.

“I think sometimes there can be a tendency for us to get a bit blase about things like this because we think they might be a problem of the past … they’re not a problem of the past.”

Mr Boyer said South Australia had recorded 22 cases of the potentially deadly disease this year, increasing from 13 cases at the same time last year.

“That’s a pretty serious number and the way we protect ourselves and protect our loved ones is by taking advantage of the vaccination that is there,” he said.

Vaccines are available for several strains of meningococcal disease and are free in South Australia for children aged six weeks to 12 months and students in year 10.

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