Meningitis

Meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the lining of the brain. It can be caused by viruses or bacteria.

The bacteria which cause meningitis and meningococcal disease are spread by coughing, sneezing or direct contact such as kissing. The disease can develop very rapidly, sometimes within a matter of hours. The biggest problem is that most of the early symptoms are mild and similar to those you get with flu or hangover.
Key symptoms include:

severe headache
vomiting
fever
stiff neck
dislike of bright lights;

More detailed information of the symptoms.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, get medical help immediately.
Do not wait until the following day. Whilst not all cases are fatal, death can occur in as little as 12 hours.
Meningitis can kill and early treatment saves lives.
 
What to do in an emergency
If you need to see a doctor urgently out of surgery hours or at weekends or vacation time, please contact the practice you are registered with or NHS Direct on 0845 4647
 
Further information on meningitis is available at:

Meningitis Research Foundation (this site provides information in a range of languages)
The Meningitis Trust

There are two national meningitis helplines which are also happy to answer ‘over the phone enquiries’, tel 0808 800 3344 or 0808 80 10 388. 

The Vaccine

Anyone attending university, whatever their age, should be immunised before they enrol or as soon as possible thereafter.

The vaccine is given by injection. It has been routinely given to children under one since November 1999, and a ‘catching-up’ exercise took place to try and ensure that other young people had the injection too. If you have had the new MenC vaccine before you will not need it again. However, if you think that you may have been missed out (or you are not sure whether you had the new vaccine –before November 1999) you should contact your doctor straight away to check and (if necessary) book an appointment to have the vaccination – adults and children over 1 will only need one jab.

The MenC vaccine will protect you against one of the most common types of meningitis, but will not protect against all types of the disease. So it’s very important that you know the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia.

Emergencies and out of hours
If you need medical advice outside of surgery opening hours please ring NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or visit nhsdirect.nhs.uk