What is it? 

• Serious infection of blood or brain (meningitis)
• Can lead to very severe disease or even death.
• Caused by a bacteria called meningococcal. - 15% of us carry it in our nose and throat and it doesn’t harm us.
• For reasons we don’t understand it can occasionally transmit to others and cause the disease.  

Who gets it? 

• Peak those under 5, and teenagers/young adults up to 25
• High risk are young adults moving into halls of residence – university or boarding school
• We don’t understand why some get the disease. Bug doesn’t survive long outside the nose or throat – thought spread close contact kissing, eating utensils, sneezing.

How do you recognise it? 

• Often starts with temp, vomiting or muscle/joint pian like any other illness.
• However, it can worsen every very rapidly without warning – severe headache, stiff neck, drowsiness, rash – serious requires urgent medical attention.
• It is rare, however can happen out of the blue with little or no warning.

What to do about it? 

• Antibiotics can cure if get early enough
• However only real protection immunisation.
• Under-fives now have a meningitis vaccine in immunisation schedule
• 13- to 25-year-olds: moving to halls of residence, boarding school can get a free immunisations for the main types of meningitis.
• As parents think about immunising their children if going to university or boarding school – talk to your GP or Nurse.