Meningitis Awareness Week, September 15-21

Meningitis and septicaemia kill more children in the UK than any other infectious disease. Every day 9 people become ill with meningitis. This means a death will occur almost every day and a further 2 people will be left with life-altering after effects as severe as brain damage, deafness and multiple amputations.

Meningitis Awareness Week is the start of Meningitis Research Foundation's awareness campaign. The Foundation's aim is to save lives by raising awareness of the dangers of meningitis and septicaemia, the blood poisoning form, and providing free symptoms packs to the public.

Meningitis Research Foundation Chief Executive Christopher Head commented: "There are vaccines which provide excellent protection, but not all forms of meningitis and septicaemia can be prevented. In particular, there is no vaccine to protect against MenB disease, which causes most cases in this country.

"Meningitis and septicaemia are devastating diseases which within just a few hours can leave a baby, child or adult fighting for their life. Knowing the symptoms and acting fast will save lives."

Symptoms of meningitis

• Severe headache
• Stiff neck +
• Dislike of bright lights +
• Fever/vomiting
• Drowsy and less responsive/vacant
• Rash
• Seizures (fits) may also be seen

(+ unusual in young children)

Symptoms of septicaemia

(This form of the illness often starts with non-specific flu-like symptoms):

• Rash
• fever/vomiting
• cold hands and feet/shivering
• limb/joint/muscle pain
• abdominal pain (sometimes with diarrhoea)
• pale or mottled skin
• rapid or unusual breathing
• drowsy and less responsive/vacant

Other symptoms in babies include:

• tense or bulging fontanelle (soft spot on head)
• blotchy skin, getting paler or turning blue
• refusing to feed
• be irritable when picked up, with a high pitched or moaning cry
• a stiff body with jerky movements or else floppy and lifeless

More information

Call Meningitis Research Foundation's Freefone 24 hour helpline - 080 8800 3344 - for a free B Aware symptoms information pack.
www.meningitis.org

This article was published on Mon 15 September 2008