MENINGOCOCCAL DEATH IN THE NEW ENGLAND AREA

A woman has died of meningococcal disease in a New England hospital.

It’s the sixth case of the disease in the Hunter New England region this year. A two-year-old boy died from the disease in June.

Hunter New England Health says there are no links between the latest death and any previous cases. Close contacts of the dead woman have been prescribed clearance antibiotics.

The first symptoms of the disease include pain in the legs, cold hands and feet and abnormal skin colour. Later symptoms include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, dislike of bright lights, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness and a rash of reddish/purple spots.