QUICK-thinking ambulance officers and a new drug have saved the life of a five-year-old boy with meningococcal disease.

Blake Sheen is recovering in Cairns Base Hospital after contracting the fast-acting infection, which can lead to death within hours, on Sunday.

Yesterday morning, he was moved from the intensive care unit to the children's ward where he will stay for up to a month.

"I just want to get out of here," Blake said as his mother Jarna McIntosh tried to make him comfortable.

Doctors say he is recovering well thanks mainly to a quick response by his parents and ambulance officers who gave Blake an injection of ceftriaxon - an antibiotic recently made available to paramedics - on the way to the hospital.

"One of the doctors in the ICU said if he didn't get that antibiotic in the ambulance, it might have been a different story," Ms McIntosh told The Cairns Post.

Blake was recovering from a cold when he experienced diarrhoea, vomiting and sore joints on Sunday.

His parents noticed a strange bruise-like mark on his chin and became worried when his muscles tensed and teeth clenched.

"We knew something wasn't right," Ms McIntosh said.

"It wasn't the common cold or flu or gastro."

After a second purple mark appeared, they called the ambulance.

The worried parents told emergency medical dispatcher Kevin Dowling of the symptoms.

Mr Dowling diagnosed the illness as meningococcal disease and immediately sent two crews of paramedics to treat Blake.

"I had actually been reading about the disease," he said.

Paramedic Glenn Timmins confirmed Mr Dowling's diagnosis and gave Blake a shot of ceftriaxon as the infection
worsened.

"You can actually watch the rash spread before your eyes," Mr Timmins, who has visited Blake since Sunday, said.

"If he hadn't have got it (the antibiotic), he probably wouldn't be alive today."

Ms McIntosh said her heart sunk as she watched her cheerful son writhe in pain.

"Normally you can't shut him up," she said. "He lights up any room.

"He's an absolute charmer."

She said the rash looked like "someone had flicked him with paint".

Ms McIntosh said Blake was not likely to lose any limbs, caused by lack of blood circulation.

She praised the ambulance officers and hospital staff and urged other parents to raise the alarm immediately if they had the slightest suspicion their child had contracted such a disease.

"Don't hesitate," she said.

"If you see something that looks remotely strange or like it shouldn't be there, get them to a doctor or a hospital."

Tropical Population Health Network physician Dr Steven Donohue said early symptoms include vomiting, high temperature, headache, a rash and discomfort when looking at bright lights.

"Younger children and babies may refuse feeds, be irritable, become difficult to wake and/or develop a high-pitched irritable cry," Dr Donohue said.

"Not all of these symptoms may appear or appear at the one time."

A free meningococcal C vaccine is available for children born after January 1, 2002.

Share this article