NT Health reporting death of man and further case of meningococcal

A man in his 30s has died after contracting meningococcal while another young woman has also been diagnosed. SEE THE SYMPTOMS

A YOUNG Darwin man has died from meningococcal disease.

The man was in his 30s and had not travelled interstate or overseas recently.

NT Health said all close contacts have been identified and notified by the Centre for Disease Control.

It comes as a second case was reported in a woman from Alice Springs, also in her 30s.

There is no link between the two cases.

In June 2019, an infant died from the diease, with five cases reported that year.

NT Health encourages anyone who suspects they may have the infection to seek immediate medical attention, as it can kill within hours.

Symptoms include a rash of small red or purple spots or larger bruise-like areas, fever, headache, neck stuffness, light sensitivity, nausea or vommitting, diarrhoea, drowsiness and confusion and difficulty walking or talking.

The bacteria is not easily spread between peeople, but is present in droplets from a cough or a sneeze.

It is not spread by saliva and doesn’t survive more than a few seconds outside the body.

A two-year-old child from a rural area of South Australia also died from the infection just three weeks ago.

The NT Government recently made monkeypox a notifiable condition in the Territory, following the first case being identified last month.