Qld; Another boy believed to die from meningococcal disease

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2001
Qld; Another boy believed to die from meningococcal disease

BRISBANE, Aug 27 AAP - Queensland doctors believe a three-year-old boy from the Darling
Downs, who died on Friday, is the latest victim of meningococcal disease.

Director of the Darling Downs public health unit in Toowoomba, Neil Parker, said the
boy had been brought to Dalby Hospital with symptoms of the disease and test results due
out later today were expected to confirm this.

Meningococcal disease has killed 24 Australians so far this year, including eight from
Queensland.

Sixteen-year-old Christopher D'Arcy, son of former Wallaby prop Tony D'Arcy, was one
of two teenage boys from Brisbane's Nudgee College among this month's victims.

The Courier-Mail newspaper reported today that three-year-old Zachery Perry died on
Friday afternoon.

His mother Sabrina was quoted as saying Zachery had been with a babysitter on Friday
morning but was taken home because he seemed unwell.

She said she took him to Dalby hospital early that afternoon, after his arms and legs
had become stiff and he was moaning with pain.

Doctors also found a rash on his body.

The family of the dead boy have been vaccinated but Dr Parker said they had been stigmatised
and shunned by some people in the community who falsely believed they could catch the
disease from them.

"They are at no greater risk having seen this person or his family than before," Dr
Parker told The Courier-Mail.

He said that once antibiotics had been taken, bacteria in the nose and throat were
killed within 24 hours and the patient became non-contagious.

AAP rad/vr

KEYWORD: MENINGOCOCCAL

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