A five-month-old baby is fighting for his life as he battles meningococcal in a Queensland hospital.
The boy remains in a critical but stable condition in Townsville University Hospital on Monday, 7NEWS.com.au understands.
A photo of the boy, obtained by 7NEWS.com.au, shows a large proportion of his body covered in reddish-purple lesions, which are a common symptom of the deadly disease.
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He was initially taken to a hospital in Cairns before being airlifted to Townsville on Sunday, according to Townsville’s public health unit director Stephen Donahue said.
He said the “extremely sick” child was suffering “sepsis, low blood pressure (and) poor circulation”, and was also “in shock”.
“Our doctors think this is a case of meningococcal bacteremia, or sepsis,” Donahue said.
“Meningococcal is a feared disease because this germ can kill you in 12 hours.
“It’s terrifying.
“This is why it’s so important to vaccinate because this can be a very serious illness, and this is a very sick child.
“So long as the person gets to hospital quickly, it’s very easy to treat with antibiotics. But if it’s left, it can be very serious, very quickly.”
Vaccinations for meningococcal are recommended from 12 months of age, under the National Immunisation Program schedule.
“This child was really too young to be effectively vaccinated, and that’s why it’s really important for older children who can respond to the vaccine, and young adults and adolescents, that if we can protect enough of the community, that there’s much less of these germs circulating,” Donahue said.
There have been 21 cases of invasive meningococcal recorded in Queensland so far this year.