Ninth case of meningococcal disease in WA AN ELDERLY West Australian has become the ninth person in the state to be diagnosed with the potentially deadly meningococcal disease this year. The patient was recovering in hospital while their closest contacts had been given information, and some had been given antibiotics to minimise the chance of the organism spreading, the WA Health Department said today. Meningococcal disease is an uncommon, life-threatening illness caused by a bacterial infection of the blood or membranes that line the spinal cord and brain. The bacterium are often carried harmlessly in the back of the nose and throat by many people, and very rarely invade the bloodstream and cause serious infections. It can spread from the nose and throat when coughing or sneezing, but is not spread by saliva and does not survive more than a few seconds in the environment. Symptoms may include a fever, chills, headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, severe muscle and joint pains, and sometimes a rash. The department said the incidence of meningococcal disease had decreased significantly in WA over the past decade, with about 20 to 25 cases reported each year. That figure is down from a peak of 86 cases in 2000. There were 19 cases notified in 2012 - the lowest number recorded in more than 20 years.