THREE young children have contracted the deadly meningococcal disease following a family outing on New Year’s Eve at Brisbane’s South Bank Parklands.

Dr Megan Young, public health physician at Metro North Public Health Unit, said the children were in a stable condition and continued to be treated at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital.

“My understanding is we have not contacted all of those people who are close contacts of those children and they are or have already gotten appropriate antibiotic treatment and further information about the disease,” she said.

Dr Young said meningococcal killed between five and 10 per cent of those people diagnosed, but moved to reassure anyone who was celebrating at Southbank on New Year’s Eve.

“There is no increase in risk to the general public or the broader population irrespective of where people might have been in relation to the movements of these cases,” she said.

She said health authorities were unaware of any other cases related to these three linked cases at this time.

The three children, all from the same family, were admitted to the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital on New Year’s Day by concerned relatives after showing symptoms.

Initially, it was feared a fourth child might have contracted the potentially lethal disease, but testing on Monday only returned three positive tests.

A spokesman from Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital confirmed the children all aged under five were from the same family and remain in a stable condition while undergoing treatment.

“There are no other signs of an outbreak right now,” he said.

media_camera The most common symptoms for Meningococcal include high fever and chills, headaches, stiff necks and purple areas on the skin that appear as bruises.

“The disease itself is really quite hard to get, and you need to be in very close proximity.”

“The key thing here is they are all from the same family and have all been spending a lot of time together over the holidays. They didn’t just get the infection from being at Southbank.”

It’s understood that Queensland Health is now working to trace the family’s movement over the holiday period and alert those who may have come in contact with the children.

Dr Megan Young, public health physician at Metro North Public Health Unit, confirmed the three children came from Brisbane’s northside but said the “strain of meningococcal disease has yet to be confirmed.”

“The children became ill following an extended family gathering over the holiday break and were admitted on New Year’s Day to LCCH where they continue to receive treatment,” she said.

“Those who had close contact with the children have been identified and the majority provided with information and antibiotics where appropriate.”

Know, Check, Act - Meningococcal Disease Know, Check, Act - Meningococcal Disease

Dr Young said the outbreak serves as a reminder to parents to keep track of their children’s immunisation history.

“The risk of contracting meningococcal disease is very low for contacts, and there is not any increase in risk to the broader community, however this a timely reminder for parents to ensure their vaccinations are up to date,” she said.

“Meningococcal C vaccination is recommended at 12 months of age and is provided free of charge under the National Immunisation Program.”

The disease which is an acute bacterial infection can turn fatal if not treated identified and treated on time and is predominately spread by coughing, sneezing, kissing and sharing food or drink.

The most common symptoms for Meningococcal include high fever and chills, headaches, stiff necks and purple areas on the skin that appear as bruises.