Meningococcal disease: Two more diagnosed with 'W' strain in WA
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A young child and an older teenager have been diagnosed with meningococcal disease, caused by a strain that Australians are not routinely vaccinated against.
Fourteen of the 22 reported cases of meningococcal this year have been from the emerging "W" strain.
That is up from the long-term average of about one case of the strain per year, prior to 2014.
The Department of Health said the cases were not known to be linked, and the child and teenager were recovering in separate hospitals.
Meningococcal disease is caused by a bacterial infection of the blood or membranes of the spinal cord and brain, and occurs more commonly in winter and spring.
There were 17 reported cases in 2015.
Topics: meningococcal-disease, perth-6000
