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Media centre

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If you are a reporter and would like to speak to an expert about Meningitis UK's work or meningitis in general, or would like to interview a family who have experienced the devastation of the disease, please contact our press officer Jason Hulbert on 0117 303 33 41 or email jasonhulbert@meningitisUK.org

Or, if you are organising an event to raise money for Meningitis UK and would like help publicising it through the press, please see our have you got a story to tell? page.

Useful resources

Latest news section of the website, featuring all our press releases and links to where articles about Meningitis UK has appeared in the media.

Personal stories of Meningitis UK supporters who have experienced the devastation of meningitis.

Notes to the editor, detailing statistics about the disease and the work of Meningitis UK.

Meningitis surveillance and disease trends.

Frequenty asked questions about meningitis.

Meningitis by numbers

  • Over the past 10 years, around 3,400* people are affected by bacterial meningitis and septicaemia in the UK each year and around 300 people.
  • 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.
  • 1 in 10 victims will die.
  • 1 in 4 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.

You can also discover more information about group b streptococcus – the most common cause of severe infection in newborn babies in the UK.

*Figures from Health Protection Agency, Health Protection Scotland, Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland) and Hospital Episode Statistics. Represents average number of cases over past 10 years. Type-specifiic and latest year figures are also available.

 

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