Third case of meningococcal disease confirmed in Northland

A Northland woman has been diagnosed with the third case of meningococcal disease in the area. File photo / Thinkstock

A 45-year-old Northland woman has been diagnosed with meningococcal disease, which has in the past month claimed the lives of a Bay of Plenty child and Fulton Hogan chief executive Bill Perry.

Northland District Health Board (DHB) medical officer of health Clair Mills said the latest case did not have any clear linkages to other meningococcal cases.

The DHB's public health unit was trying to identify people that had come into contact with the woman, who would be offered advice and preventative treatment.

This month a child died from the disease in Rotorua Hospital and one week earlier Fulton Hogan chief executive Bill Perry, 49, died suddenly in Christchurch.

Following Mr Perry's death three people - including one who was in a meeting with him - were hospitalised with the type-C strain of the disease.

Dr Mills said it could occur at any age, but was most common in children under five.

Symptoms in babies and young children can include fever, irritability, sleepiness, floppiness, difficulty waking up, refusal to eat or drink, vomiting and skin rash.

Adults can have similar symptoms and may also have a stiff neck, headache and sensitivity to lights.

"It's a bacteria that lives in the throat and nose, and many of us carry it without knowing we have got it," Dr Mills said.

"Meningococcal meningitis can be treated with antibiotics, so anyone with some of these symptoms should seek medical attention without delay, as early treatment is very important."

A recent European study suggested as many as five per cent of children and more than 20 per cent of teenagers carry the bacteria which can cause the disease.

- NZPA