ULAN BATOR, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's National Center for Communicable Disease (NCCD) on Monday declared an outbreak of the life-threatening meningococcal disease.

The Asian country has recorded three cases of the meningococcal disease so far this year, the NCCD said.

Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis and can cause infections in the lining of the brain or in the blood, or both. It has a high mortality rate if untreated but is vaccine-preventable.

The center urged people to identify symptoms early on and seek urgent medical treatment at health facilities if they feel sick.

The common symptoms of the disease include sudden fever, vomiting, nausea, headache, stiff neck, backache and increased sensitivity to light.