A WA patient has died from meningococcal, the first person in the State to die from the disease this year.

They were only the third reported case of any form meningococcal in WA in 2026.

Meningococcal disease is an uncommon, life-threatening illness caused by a bacterial infection of the blood or the membranes that line the spinal cord and brain.

WA Health said the person had been diagnosed with meningococcal serogroup Y, a strain covered by multiple vaccinations which are offered free to children in WA aged 12 months and again to Year 10 students.

Two previous cases this year were meningococcal B.

WA Health said meningococcal bacteria are carried harmlessly in the back of the nose and throat by about 10-20 percent of the population at any one time. Very rarely, the bacteria invade the bloodstream or tissues and cause serious infections.

Symptoms of invasive meningococcal disease can include high fever, chills, headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, and severe muscle and joint pains.

Last year WA recorded 13 meningococcal cases, 12 of serogroup B and one of serogroup Y.