Bereaved parents from Cumbria urge students to get meningitis vaccine before university
Two bereaved parents from Cumbria are sharing their experience of meningitis and septicaemia to encourage students to get vaccinated before university.
Pauline and Tony Bell, from Egremont, Cumbria, lost their daughter to the disease when she was 16 years old.
They hope to encourage all eligible young people to book an appointment for a free Men ACWY vaccine.
Their call for action comes during national Meningitis Awareness Week.
Pauline said:
Teenagers are a high risk age group for meningitis and septicaemia.
University freshers are particularly at risk because they mix with other students, who can be unknowingly carrying the bacteria.
The Men ACWY vaccine is a single injection that protects against four different strains of bacteria that cause meningitis and septicaemia.
The Men ACWY vaccination programme was introduced in 2015 following a rapid rise in a new and deadly type of meningitis.
Only 33% of eligible school leavers had the vaccine in 2016.
Young people are advised to check their eligibility and get the vaccination whether starting university or not.
Ideally students should be vaccinated more than two weeks before starting university.
However, they can still get the Men ACWY vaccine from a GP once they start university in most of the UK.
Meningitis and septicaemia can develop suddenly and progress rapidly.
Early symptoms include:
headache
vomiting
limb pain
fever
cold hands and feet
The Meningitis Research Foundation said: