Four Brisbane children are recovering in Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital after being diagnosed with deadly meningococcal disease over the past week.
A young South Brisbane boy is the latest case; he reportedly fell ill on New Year’s Eve. The other three cases are members of the same family – two siblings and a cousin all under 5 – who presented to the hospital on New Year’s Day after falling ill at a family gathering.
A Children’s Health Queensland spokesman told Courier Mail all are in a stable condition and expected to recover.
The outbreak has prompted alarm as the linked trio had attended Brisbane’s South Bank on New Year’s Eve, an event where 90,000 people were present. However public health physician Megan Young assures there is no increased risk to the public.
“You need to be in close contact to be at increased risk of meningococcal disease and that does not include being in the same sort of general area,” she said. Family members who came in contact with the children have been identified and given treatment.
Symptoms of meningococcal in children present similar to that of a flu including fever, achy muscles and tiredness though a distinctive pink, red or purplish rash on the body can be a sign of the advanced stage of the disease.
