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Tragedy of Bristol schoolboy lost to meningitis

03.04.10 

A POPULAR Bristol teenager has died suddenly from meningitis.

Ryan Bresnahan was an avid sportsman who took his Clifton College hockey team to the top of the JMS Hockey League this season, was second in the top goal-scorer table and played up front for the public school's football side.

But on Wednesday, the 16-year-old GCSE student from Leigh Woods was admitted to hospital and hours later was dead.

Steve Dayman, the chief executive of Bristol-based Meningitis UK, lost his own son Spencer to the disease in 1982.

He said: "I was extremely saddened to hear about Ryan's tragic death. It will doubtlessly have come as a great shock to his family and all who knew him.

"To lose a child to a terrible disease like this is the biggest emotional challenge a parent can face and my sympathies are with them at this difficult time.

"Meningitis is an especially cruel disease because of the speed at which it strikes, sometimes killing in as little as four hours.

"Unfortunately, students are believed to be more susceptible due to living in close proximity to others. Teenagers and those up to the age of 24 are the second most at-risk group from the killer brain bug, behind children under five.

"Meningitis can often be incredibly difficult to detect as the symptoms are hard to distinguish from flu or a hangover, plus there are occasions when people show no or very few symptoms."

Meningitis UK is dedicated to funding vaccine research to eradicate the disease through its Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign.

Although successful vaccines exist to protect against some strains, there is still no vaccine available to protect against the most common form - meningococcal group B - which Ryan is believed to have died from.

Mr Dayman added: "This makes us more determined to find a vaccine.

"Ryan was obviously a very fit and healthy young man, which shows that meningitis can affect anyone and often with little warning.

"For all these reasons, we believe prevention is the only way to truly eradicate the disease. Developing a preventative vaccine to protect against all forms of meningitis and its associated diseases is our sole focus at Meningitis UK.

"Until this goal is achieved, it's important that people are aware of the symptoms as prompt medical treatment can mean the difference between life and death."

Meningitis UK is offering the public free symptoms information packs to help raise awareness. These include a leaflet with all the facts and frequently asked questions, plus a ‘Check the Symptoms' fridge magnet and a handy wallet-sized symptoms card.

To order your free symptoms information pack, please call 0117 373 73 73 or visit www.meningitisUK.org

MENINGITIS FACTS

• Classic symptoms include a headache, stiff neck and a dislike of bright light. Other symptoms can include difficulty supporting own weight, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea, confusion and drowsiness.
• It can cause septicaemia, which leads to aching limbs, cold hands and feet and a rash.
• Meningitis can affect anyone of any age, however babies, children under the age of five, young people aged 16-24 and the elderly are most at risk.
• Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining that covers the brain and spinal cord.
• In 2008 there were approximately 3,000 cases of all forms of meningitis provisionally recorded in the UK. Every year 300 people die and hundreds more are left with permanent disabilities.
• Every week, six families face the traumatic loss of a loved one to meningitis.
• No vaccine exists for Meningitis B, which is the most common form of the disease - accounting for 90% of meningococcal cases.
•  It can kill in under four hours, which is why prompt medical treatment is so important.

For further information visit www.meningitisuk.org or call 0117 373 7373.