Meningitis Awareness Week

Today was the start of Meningitis Awareness Week. As a parent this is a disease that has to be one of the most feared for our children. Luckily people are becoming more aware of the signs and symptoms but still too many children and adults are fatally effected or have to live with the damage caused by the disease. So the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) have launched a video and e-petition to highlight the need for more to be done.


Please watch the video and then sign the e-petition:

I was shocked to hear in the North West region alone that in 2009 there were 149 cases which generally resulted in about a 10% death rate and then 25% of survivors are left with after-effects which ranges from moderate to severe. Here is just one of the heart breaking stories from my local area:

Sue and Emily Gudgeon - Ambleside, Cumbria


Sue says: "Emily was in her first year at Durham Uni when she contracted W135 meningitis. The week before she had been on a rag day to Edinburgh raising money for MRF and raising awareness too. When she felt unwell she remembered the symptoms on the card and called the out of hours GP. She was admitted to hospital the next morning and began treatment for meningitis. She was in Durham Hospital for 18 days then home for 2½ weeks before returning to Uni having made an almost full recovery. She was left with some arthritis."

If you want to help stop more families suffering either bereavement or the after effects of meningitis then please sign the e-petition.