Parents of UK students are being urged to ensure their children don’t confuse Covid-19 with other killer diseases such as meningitis.
The message, from the meningitis charity Meningitis Now, comes as thousands of young people prepare to leave home for university for the first time.
With as many as half a million students setting up home, often in Halls of Residence, in the coming months, many universities will be expecting the usual health issues such as Fresher’s Flu and hangovers to be complicated by Covid-19 this year and all will be taking measures to help prevent it.
Dr Tom Nutt, CEO at Meningitis Now, said: “The harsh reality is that some students will contract meningitis whilst at uni this coming autumn and how easy will it be to put a headache and feeling unwell down to Covid-19 and self-isolate?
“And whilst this is the correct response for Covid-19, it could be disastrous if the illness is meningitis. When meningitis strikes it does so quickly and any delay in diagnosis or treatment can cost lives.
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“Our message to parents as they battle with the uncertainties of university starting dates, online tutorials, and living arrangements, is to be certain about meningitis and to ensure that their children are aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis and that if they are feeling unwell they shouldn’t simply assume it’s Covid-19 or a hangover and that they should seek medical help immediately by calling NHS 111 or their GP.”
The student environment is the perfect breeding ground for diseases such as meningitis, as large groups of people start to cohabit and mix for the first time – some of whom will unknowingly be carrying the bug that causes this disease.
This is further exacerbated by the fact that up to a quarter of 15 to 24-year-olds carry meningococcal bacteria in the back of their throats, compared to one in 10 of the general population.
Whilst many students going to university or college this year are likely to have been protected against MenACWY, having received the vaccine at school, up to half a million people aged up to the age of 25 may have missed this important jab, and very few will have been vaccinated against MenB – a strain that causes most cases of bacterial meningitis in the UK.
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