A 18-month-old toddler from Mannum, in South Australia's Murraylands, has died in Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital from a suspected case of meningococcal.
SA Health is waiting for test results from this morning to confirm the disease.
If positive it would make the child's death the fourth case of meningococcal in the state this year.
An SA Health spokeswoman said: "Our thoughts are with the child's family and we urge people to respect their privacy at this time."
A South Australian vaccine study into the meningococcal B strain will start in 238 schools.
The B Part of It study will provide 61,496 students with the vaccine, Bexsero, for free as part of the herd immunity study.
