One person in the South has died from meningitis.
Southern District Health Board medical officer of health Dr Anura Jayasinghe said there were three confirmed cases of the disease, including one death, due to meningitis this month.
There was not considered to be any link between the cases.
Dr Jayasinghe said once Public Health South was notified of any meningitis case it worked promptly to identify anyone who had been in close contact with the infected patient within the past seven days.
The contacts were prescribed antibiotics to prevent infection.
Symptoms included a high fever, headaches, sleepiness and joint and muscle pains.
There could also be more specific symptoms such as a stiff neck, dislike of bright lights, vomiting, crying, refusal to feed in infants or a rash consisting of reddish-purple pinprick spots or bruises, he said.
"Even if you have had a meningococcal vaccine, you still need to look out for symptoms, because the vaccines do not protect against all meningococcal strains.
"If you develop any of the symptoms of meningococcal disease it is important to see a doctor immediately."
