Family confirm Bristol teen has died from meningitis after falling ill at Boardmasters Festival
The family of an 18-year-old teenager who fell ill with bacterial meningitis at the Boardmasters surfing festival, has confirmed on Facebook that he has died.
George Zographou, from Bristol, was taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro by ambulance on Saturday, 12 August.
An extract from the post George's sister, Nicola Zographou, uploaded on Facebook:
He was the third pupil to be diagnosed with the condition from St Brendan's College in the past 14 months. Among them, 16-year-old Izzy Gentry, who died just two days after being admitted to hospital.
George's family had raised concerns on social media about the quality of treatment he received at the Boardmasters Festival.
Organisers of the festival say they sympathise with the family's loss and their onsite doctor has issued a detailed rebuttal of criticisms of George's care:
The medical team that treated him on site said they believed George had been unwell before attending the festival.
George died of the rare Meningitis B strain. The Meningitis B vaccine is only given to babies and 1-year-olds for free. It is available to adults privately and costs around £200.
The ACWY vaccine, which protects against four strains of the disease, is given to year nine pupils at school, but anyone under 25 years of age has to get it from their GP.
Ther vaccinations against certain causes of meningitis include pneumococcal vaccine, MMR vaccine, memningitis
Nurses have called for more teenagers to receive vaccination in order to protect themselves against meningitis before starting university.
In 2009, 22 cases of Meningitis W were reported in the UK. That soared too 210 cases by 2016.
Young people are especially noted as being at risk.
A Crowdfunding page has been created to raise money for George's family. It was created by musician Darren Sims, and has already raised £405.
The symptoms of bacterial meningitis and septicaemia, which may appear in any order or not at all, include:
fever - cold hands and feet
headache
sore
drowsiness
severe muscle pain
vomiting
confusion and irritability
rash (that does not disappear under glass).
convulsions and seizures
dislike of bright lights
stiff neck
Anyone who may think they are experiencing any of the symptoms above is advised to trust their instincts and get medical help immediately by calling 999 or going to the nearest accident and emergency department.
The following organisations can be contacted for more information: