Tag: meningitis

Raise awareness for World Meningitis Day

LEADING UK meningitis charity Meningitis Now has launched a new Signs and Symptoms video to help raise awareness of the deadly disease to mark World Meningitis Day on Saturday 24 April.

The charity is also calling on local supporters to raise awareness with friends, family and in their community and help #DefeatMeningitis. 

In a second video released for the annual day, an initiative of the worldwide Confederation of Meningitis Organisations, charity supporters Holly and Lewis Andrews, from Worcester, are also helping to spread the word by telling their story.

In the video Holly and Lewis talk about how they had already watched their son Theo battle bacterial meningitis in 2018. Fortunately, he recovered. When his baby brother Jasper became unwell in March 2020 they couldn’t believe that history seemed to be repeating itself.

“Meningitis can wreck lives and it’s vital that everybody understands how serious it can be for individuals and families. That’s why we’re supporting World Meningitis Day. 

“By telling our story, raising awareness of the signs and symptoms and increasing vaccine knowledge, we hope to raise the profile of this devastating disease,” they said. 

Thankfully, Jasper, who was diagnosed with viral meningitis, also went on to make a good recovery.

Holly added: “I couldn’t get my head around the fact that both our babies had contracted meningitis. I had so many questions, so many whys? What ifs? How could this have happened again? What did we do wrong?

“I reached out to Meningitis Now again, and shared all my concerns and all my questions, and they were great. They told me about a Facebook support group, which has been a huge help for me.

“Both boys are doing fantastic, they’re both so happy, so content and are already the best of friends, they love each other so much.

“We still can’t quite believe that in the last three years meningitis has hit our little family twice and I don’t think you can ever get over the constant worrying and panicking, but I think it’s just something you learn to live with.”

The family’s full story is on the charity’s website at www.meningitisnow.org/support-us/news-centre/meningitis-stories/jaspers-story

Meningitis Now Chief Executive, Dr Tom Nutt, said: “We want to use World Meningitis Day to help spread the word and raise awareness of the signs and symptoms and reinforce that, on World Meningitis Day, as on every other day, we are here to help and support those who need us.

“With the impact of Covid-19 leading to some people missing their immunisations and the number of meningitis cases expected to rise when people start to gather again it’s important that we keep meningitis awareness on everybody’s radar.

“Please join us on 24 April for World Meningitis Day, take action and #DefeatMeningitis.”

Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord, usually caused by bacteria or viruses.Early signs and symptoms can be similar to ‘flu, tummy bug or a hangover and include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and stomach cramps.

More specific signs and symptoms include fever with cold hands and feet, drowsiness, confusion, pale blotchy skin, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights and a rash, which doesn’t fade under pressure. Symptoms can occur in any order and some may not appear at all.

If someone is ill and getting worse seek urgent medical attention.

Of those who contract bacterial meningitis one in ten will die and one in three survivors will be left with life-changing after-effects.

The awareness day takes place as Meningitis Now launches its new five-year strategy aiming to defeat meningitis in the UK within a generation.

The charity is working towards a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need.

It does this by funding research into vaccines and prevention, raising awareness so people know what to look for and what action to take if they suspect meningitis and rebuilding futures by providing dedicated support to people living with the impact of the disease.

For more information visit www.meningitisnow.org

UK parents urged to warn children don’t assume it’s Covid if they fall ill at university

Parents of UK students are being urged to ensure their children don’t confuse Covid-19 with other killer diseases such as meningitis. The message, from the meningitis charity, Meningitis Now, comes as thousands of young people prepare to leave home for university for the first time.

With as many as half a million students setting up home, often in Halls of Residence, in the coming months, many universities will be expecting the usual health issues such as Fresher’s Flu and hangovers to be complicated by Covid-19 this year and all will be taking measures to help prevent it.

“But what about meningitis?” says Dr Tom Nutt, CEO at Meningitis Now. “The harsh reality is that some students will contract meningitis whilst at Uni this coming autumn and how easy will it be to put a headache and feeling unwell down to Covid-19 and self-isolate?

“And whilst this is the correct response for Covid-19, it could be disastrous if the illness is meningitis. When meningitis strikes it does so quickly and any delay in diagnosis or treatment can cost lives.

“Our message to parents as they battle with the uncertainties of university starting dates, online tutorials, and living arrangements, is to be certain about meningitis and to ensure that their children are aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis and that if they are feeling unwell they shouldn’t simply assume it’s Covid-19 or a hangover and that they should seek medical help immediately by calling NHS 111 or their GP.”

Nineteen-year-old Ben, a student at the University of Portsmouth knows how quickly meningitis can strike having contracted meningococcal B in November 2019.

Keen to pursue a career as a Naval Officer, Ben was just one month into college when he became unwell, disorientated, and confused.

He was told that it was a hangover. Ben, who had been given the MenACWY vaccine, had contracted MenB – a strain of the disease he was not vaccinated against. The quick thinking and speedy action of his flatmates saved his life.

“Being told that our son was the sickest patient in the hospital, will live with me forever,” says Ben’s mother, Arlene de Souza. “The outcome for Ben could have been very different if he and his mates had also been dealing with the added confusion of Covid-19. Ben has been lucky.”

Ben has now recovered fully and intends to restart his university studies this autumn.

The student environment is the perfect breeding ground for diseases such as meningitis, as large groups of people start to cohabit and mix for the first time – some of whom will unknowingly be carrying the bug that causes this disease.

This is further exacerbated by the fact that up to a quarter of 15 to 24-year-olds carry meningococcal bacteria in the back of their throats, compared to one in 10 of the general population.

Whilst many students going to university or college this year are likely to have been protected against MenACWY, having received the vaccine at school, up to half a million people aged up to the age of 25 may have missed this important jab, and very few will have been vaccinated against MenB – a strain that causes most cases of bacterial meningitis in the UK. 

Over 65s – tell us your meningitis story!

LEADING meningitis charity Meningitis Now is after your stories about the disease – if you are over 65-years-old.

As part of a new campaign to better understand the effect of the illness on older people, the charity is keen to hear from anyone in this age group who had meningitis after they turned 65. They also want to hear from the children or even grandchildren of people in this age group if they can tell their stories for them.

It is all part of a new strategy to try and reach as many people in the country as possible who have had the devastating disease and offer ongoing support. While most people usually associate meningitis with babies and students, older adults are also very vulnerable.

According to Meningitis Now CEO Dr Tom Nutt, many people in this age group don’t realise they are at risk from the disease. 

“When you have a baby you are told about meningitis and what to look out for, all the signs and symptoms,” he said.

“And then you get the same message when your children leave home for university or college when again they are in an at-risk group.

“But the third group who are more vulnerable to meningitis often don’t even know they are at risk – and that’s older adults.

“We realise that people in this age group are already having to deal with an increasing risk of different illnesses so we are just one of many – which makes it hard to get the message out.

“But meningitis can hit so fast and be so devastating we really believe it is worth older people, as well as their relatives and carers, being aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease and seeking urgent medical advice if concerned.”

As well as wanting older people to be aware about how the disease might affect them, Dr Nutt said Meningitis Now was keen to understand how the charity could best support them.

“We are looking for ways to reach more people who are affected by the disease so that we can offer them our support,” he said.

“As well as talking to them about the after-effects of meningitis we have lots of ways we can help them including with funds for things like therapies and specialist equipment.

“So, if you or anyone you know is in this age group and have had meningitis please get in touch and tell us your story – we would love to hear from you and we would also love to offer you our support.”

To share your meningitis story with Meningitis Now and help improve the charity’s support to older people please visit the website here: https://www.meningitisnow.org/support-us/news-centre/share-your-story/

Case Study

Barbara O’Meara, 75, thought she had caught a cold when she first started to feel ill aged 71 but what happened next was the start of a very scary journey. Her daughter, Lucy O’Meara, from Grimsby, told her story to Meningitis Now:

“We had been away on holiday and my partner and I got engaged. I rang my mother to tell her the news, she sounded very croaky on the phone but said she just had the start of a cold. I told her to rest up, and we exchanged texts. Everything seemed okay.

“Two days later we arrived home and that evening my mother’s friend rang to tell me she had been admitted to intensive care with a suspected stroke. Hospital was 1.5 hours away from our home, so we drove off after receiving the news at about 10pm.

“When we got to intensive care at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, my mum was unresponsive apart from a few coughs and groans. We hadn’t been told it may be meningitis and I spent hours resting my head next to her on her pillow, hugging and talking to her.

“My brother arrived in the early hours from Bristol and the doctors then came to talk to us. They told us it was meningitis and the chances of her surviving were very low. That morning she was intubated and put into a coma. The next day there were no improvements, but she bit through her breathing tube so she had a tracheostomy fitted.

“Doctors tried to wake her but had no success – we were then told the likelihood was she would not survive and at best may be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life. A week and a half went by, and they managed to wake my mum. After two says she started to speak. The first thing she was look at my engagement ring and grin.

“Mum was moved on to a general ward where she suffered with hallucinations at night and was extremely distressed. She had to learn to walk again. Mum has been left completely deaf in one ear, but continues to live independently on her own. She works two days a week in a charity shop and is an inspiration to everyone who knows her.

“Mum has always led a healthy, active lifestyle and even now continues to walk her dog for miles every day. She never expected anything like this to ever happen to her”.

Grieving mum calls on medical professionals to listen to parents

A HEARTBROKEN MUM who lost her young son to meningitis is appealing to parents to trust their instincts and for medical professionals to listen to their concerns. 

Georgie Hall and her husband Bryan, from Wrentham in Suffolk, endured the agony of losing their son Ollie, 6, to meningitis in October 2017.

Speaking at the annual Christmas concert of patient support charity Meningitis Now at Gloucester Cathedral earlier this week, Georgie said: “There are a few things I would like to tell every parent out there in the hope they never have to experience the pain that we are. 

“Firstly, trust your instincts. You know your child better than anyone. The experts at the inquest into Ollie’s death all agreed that doctors should listen to the parents and parental views should weigh heavily in the medical assessment of the child.

“The hardest part of the inquest was hearing that Ollie could have been saved if he had been treated sooner.

“My greatest regrets are allowing the paramedics and GPs to ignore my concerns and trusting them instead of my instincts. I’m so sorry my darling Ollie.”

The couple are also calling for parents to ensure their children are vaccinated against the disease.

“The second thing is to have your child vaccinated. MenB has a vaccine. It’s not available to everyone so check with your GP whether your child is covered. If they aren’t, the MenB vaccine can be bought in many High Street pharmacies.” 

Ollie had been too old to get the MenB vaccination from the NHS when it was first introduced to the schedule in 2015, following campaigning by Meningitis Now, and his parents were unaware it was available privately.

He became ill on 23 October 2017 and as his condition worsened his concerned parents called 111, rather than wait for an appointment with their local GP. An ambulance was called but paramedics dismissed meningitis, as did doctors at a local surgery where Ollie was taken.

“The four medical professionals discussed Ollie among themselves almost to the point of ignoring anything I wanted to say,” Georgie said. 

They concluded that Ollie had a viral infection and he was sent home to rest.

“My instincts were telling me they were wrong but I felt I could not argue”, Georgie added.

As Ollie’s condition continued to deteriorate and a rash began to develop he was taken back to the surgery and an emergency ambulance was called, only to find none was available. He was driven to hospital by his parents, but it was too late and he died the next morning.

An inquest into his death in June this year concluded there had been a ‘gross failure’ to provide basic medical treatment and the Suffolk coroner called for urgent improvements to prevent further deaths.

Ollie’s parents had earlier told the week-long inquest that they felt they had been made to feel like ‘over-sensitive parents, who didn’t know what we were talking about.’

The family was represented at the inquest by Shoosmiths, the major law firm noted for its expertise in medical negligence cases. Shoosmiths is working with the family to campaign for medical professionals to listen more to parents’ concerns.

Michael Burrell, Senior Associate with the firm, said: “Parents know their child better than anyone, especially if that child is poorly or off colour.

“It is surprising, given Ollie’s symptoms and that Georgie repeatedly raised the possibility of meningitis with the medical professionals, that her concerns were seemingly disregarded so readily without the simple tests which could have reassured Georgie or led to a lifesaving diagnosis having been undertaken.

“We are hopeful that the evidence obtained as part of the coronial process will help ensure lessons are learned so that no other family has to go through what Georgie and Bryan have experienced.”

Georgie added: “It was shocking how fast the disease took over Ollie’s body. In less than 24 hours from showing his first sign of being ill he had died. 

“Nothing can prepare you for that as a parent, no one expects to see their child die, it just doesn’t make sense. How could my happy, healthy 6-year-old boy be here one minute and gone the next?

“Ollie was up to date with all his routine childhood vaccinations. Then, a few days later we found out that it was MenB and the vaccine for this strain wasn’t available to babies back in 2011 when Ollie was born.

“As if our hearts weren’t broken enough, we then discovered that we could have purchased the vaccine privately.

“The laboratory results confirmed that Ollie would have been protected by the vaccine. My heart was shattered.”

Meningitis Now Chief Executive Dr Tom Nutt said: “Ollie’s parents Georgie and Bryan did everything right. They noticed his symptoms. They sought help. It is an absolute tragedy that they could not prevent the death of their son.

“This case highlights the need for parents to know the signs and symptoms of the disease and that, like Georgie, they should trust their instincts and seek medical help as quickly as possible.

“We urge all parents to check too if their child has received this vaccination and if not to do so as soon as possible.”

Meningitis Now is working towards a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need.

It does this by funding research into vaccines and prevention, raising awareness so people know what to look for and what action to take if they suspect meningitis and rebuilding futures by providing dedicated support to people living with the impact of the disease.

Visit the website at www.MeningitisNow.org to find out more, learn the signs and symptoms and donate.