Student tests positive for meningococcal at Yirara College in Alice Springs, school confirms

The student is ‘recovering well’ after a visit to the hospital, the school says, who are continuing ‘to monitor the situation’. Read what we know.

Yirara College, located south of Alice Springs. Picture: File

A student at a Red Centre boarding school has tested positive for meningococcal, the school has confirmed.

In a statement issued on Monday, Yirara College principal Wesley Meurant said the boarding school student returned the positive test after they returned to school after the holidays.

Yirara College principal Wesley Meurant. Picture: Gera Kazakov

“Due to the quick and effective response from our boarding staff and school nurse, the student was promptly taken to the hospital and received immediate treatment,” the statement read.

The student is “recovering well,” according to the statement, and the school is “following expert medical guidance to ensure the highest standard of care for our school and community”.

Other boarding students have been tested for meningococcal, the statement said, and the students were also given antiviral medication as a preventive step.

“At this stage, no additional cases of meningococcal disease have been identified. We will continue to monitor the situation and watch for any symptoms,” the statement said.

Originally published as Student tests positive for meningococcal at Yirara College in Alice Springs, school confirms