Heather Long reported that the deaths in September happened within three days of each other, with an 18-year-old woman dying on September 26 and a 60-year-old woman succumbing to the infection a few days before.

A 20-year-old Hobart man who was friends with the 18-year-old woman was also in a critical condition at the Royal Hobart Hospital, after arriving with her at the emergency department on Tuesday night also displaying symptoms.

RHH chief Pat Martin said they were treated for flu-type illness and had their bloods taken which came back normal. They then both returned separately on the Wednesday morning, and were "extremely ill", requiring resuscitation.

"This indicates the fact that very suddenly this disease goes from being not recognisable in any way, shape or form to being so bad that people die," she said.

An 18-year-old Victorian man was also in critical condition at the RHH for a suspected meningococcal infection at the time.

Director of Public Health Mark Jacobs said usually there were about 15 cases of the infection each year in Tasmania.

"The one thing that's different this year so far is that we've had a few more deaths than we would expect to see," he said.

"What that reflects is that this year we're seeing a different sub-type of meningococcal infection from what we normally see."

Mr Jacobs said that previously the reported cases had been Serotype B, but during that year, Serotype C cases had been reported.

"That particular type can progress more quickly and is more likely to result in death, although even with Serotype C most people do still recover."

Ms Long reported the hospital was to review all systems surrounding the assessment of people with flu-like illnesses.

The Examiner also chose to include a fact box on page two of the paper which listed the facts of meningococcal infection.

These included the symptoms to watch out for, how it could be spread, the groups most at risk in the community, and what to do if you suspected you had symptoms or had been in contact with someone who may have had it.

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