Students offered vaccine against deadly meningitis strain

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/aug/01/meningitis-menw-students-vaccine-campaign

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First-year university and college students will this year be offered vaccination to protect them against a deadly strain of meningitis, known as MenW.

GPs will be inviting those aged 17 and 18 to come for vaccination protection against meningitis (inflammation of the brain) and septicaemia (blood poisoning) caused by four meningococcal strains including MenW.

The vaccine is being introduced because there has been a rapid increase in cases of the highly aggressive strain of meningococcal disease, group W.

In 2009 there were 22 cases of meningitis caused by the MenW strain. By 2014 there were 117, and it now accounts for about a quarter of all laboratory-confirmed meningococcal cases in England. MenW also has a higher death rate than other strains of the disease.

As well as MenW, the vaccination also protects against other forms of the disease – meningococcal disease types A, C and Y – which can also be fatal or cause long-term complications for those affected. “The rise in MenW is particularly worrying as it causes more severe illness and a higher death rate than other strains,” said Chris Head, of the Meningitis Research Foundation. “That is why we are urging all who are eligible to make sure they get the vaccine.”

Meningitis is an infection of the meninges – the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord – and symptoms include fever, cold hands and feet, agitation, confusion, vomiting and headaches.

An example of the terrible impact that the disease can have is provided by the story of Amy Davis from Surrey who contracted bacterial meningitis at the age of 18.

“In August 2012, after a year and a half of trying to save my leg, there was no choice but to have it amputated. Despite being only in my early 20s, I’ve already had a hip replacement and have chronic arthritis in my foot – all because of the meningitis. I look at other girls my age and feel so envious when they can go dress and shoe shopping,” she said.

Another victim of the meningitis strain W was Edward Saunders, who died, aged 18, after contracting the disease. His mother Tracey, 51, from Bristol said that one evening Edward had gone to bed because he felt hot. By 4am she had to call a doctor and by 7.20am he was in Bristol Royal Infirmary. “There must have been 20 people working on him, but there was nothing they could do. He was dead by 10am,” she told the Daily Mail. “I had never heard of this disease, and within half a day it had killed my boy.”

Yesterday Sue Davie, chief executive of charity Meningitis Now, pleaded with parents to make sure their children received the vaccine. “We are particularly concerned with those going to university or college in the autumn.

“This is a cruel disease, it does not discriminate and could significantly alter the future outlook for young people if they are not protected or meningitis aware.”

Older first-time university entrants aged between 19 and 24 are also being urged to contact their GP for vaccination. “This vaccine will save lives and prevent permanent disability,” said Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at Public Health England. Health experts in Scotland and Wales have also urged school-leavers and freshers to visit their doctors to be vaccinated this summer.

Meningitis: the facts

■ Meningococcal bacteria are common, and one in 10 people carry them harmlessly.

■ Meningitis is caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, which are known as the meninges.

■ The vaccination being offered will protect against Men W, A, C and Y; the four meningococcal strains that can cause meningitis and septicaemia.

■ 17 and 18-year-olds are being invited to be vaccinated, as well as those under 25 heading to university for the first time, as experts say that this group is most at risk.

■ Cases of MenW rose from 22 in 2009 to 117 in 2014.

■ MenW is responsible for about one quarter of all laboratory-confirmed meningococcal cases in England, and the death rate linked to it is higher than that of other strains of the disease.

■ Symptoms of meningitis include a high fever, cold hands and feet, agitation, confusion, vomiting and headaches.

Martha Epstein