Meningitis

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Facts and figures

MORI poll results show need for greater awareness

Meningitis UK commissioned Ipsos MORI to carry out a nationwide poll to gauge people's knowledge about meningitis.

The result indicated that 69% of people questioned did not realise there is no vaccine against Meningitis B - the strain which causes almost 90 per cent of all meningococcal cases in the UK and can kill in under four hours.

It also revealed that 38% of parents mistakenly believe their children had been vaccinated against all forms of meningitis - despite there being no vaccine against Meningitis B.

It showed that 78% of people initially questioned agreed that research into developing vaccines against meningitis should be given a higher priority. After being told there is currently no vaccine against Meningitis B, this increased to 86%. 

Meningitis by numbers:

• Based on average figures for the past 10 years, around 3,400 people are affected by bacterial meningitis and septicaemia in the UK each year.
• Meningitis can kill in under 4 hours, which is why it's vital to know the signs.
• There are 8 main symptoms to look out for: fever, vomiting, headache, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights, drowsiness, difficulty in supporting own weight and a rash that does not fade when pressure is applied.
• Over 500,000 people in the UK today have had viral or bacterial meningitis.
• Every week, 6 families face the traumatic loss of a loved one to meningitis.
• 1 in 10 victims will die.
• 1 in 7 of those who survive will be left with a permanent disability such as loss of limbs, blindness, deafness or brain damage.
• Children and babies under 5-years-old are most at risk because they don't replace the natural immunity they get from their mothers until school age.
• Those aged 14 to 24 are second most at risk, particularly students who are believed to be more susceptible due to living in close proximity to others.
• In the past 20 years vaccines have been developed to protect against Hib, Meningitis C and Pneumococcal Meningitis.
• There is no vaccine for Meningitis B, which accounts for 90 per cent of all meningococcal cases in the UK.

Group B Strep is the most common cause of severe infection in newborn babies in the UK. Here are the facts:

• Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a bacterial infection which can be passed from mother to baby during or just before labour
• The vaginas and/or rectums of approximately a quarter of all women of childbearing age are colonised with GBS at any one time
• About one in eight babies will become colonised with the bacteria at birth and 1 in 1,000 will develop the invasive disease
• Each year, about 600 babies develop severe GBS infection, including pneumonia, septicaemia and meningitis
• Around 70% of identified cases in the first three months occur within the baby's first week of life
• An estimated 60 babies die each year in the UK as a result of GBS infection, but this could be higher – a death rate of about 1 in 10
• Up to a half of the survivors of GBS meningitis suffer permanent mental and/or physical problems, ranging from mild to severe learning disabilities, impaired sight, impaired hearing and lung damage.
• Typical symptoms of early-onset (within the baby's first six days) GBS infection include grunting, poor feeding, lethargy, low blood pressure, irritability, abnormal temperature (high or low), heart rate and/or breathing rate (fast or slow) which can cause blueness of the skin due to lack of oxygen.
• Typical symptoms of late-onset GBS infection, including meningitis, may include fever, poor feeding and/or vomiting and drowsiness.