Meningitis – Still a cause for

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Meningitis – Still a cause for

concernProtocols, vaccines, signs and symptoms, and beyond

Susette Worgan-BrownInformation & Projects Co-ordinator

Who we are

UK charity based in Stroud, GloucestershireMeningitis Trust and Meningitis UK merged in 2013Our vision is a future where no-one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives30 years of experience Research – £12m Awareness – £20mSupport – £22m

Meningitis – still a cause for concern

In the UK every university could experience at least one case of meningitis amongst its students within the first term Average 3200 cases of bacterial meningitis each yearMeningococcal disease – in 20 years cases have ranged from 2800 in 1998 to 750 in 2014Approx 12% of cases occur in the 19 – 25 age groupIncrease in cases of Men W - 23 cases confirmed in 2009 and 119 confirmed in 2014, and was continuing to accelerate - a virulent strain with a higher death rate

Public Health England (PHE)

Men ACWY immunisation advised for 14 to 18 year-oldsWe were already engaged with University of Bristol regarding our Meningitis Aware Recognition Mark (MARM)

March 2015

Opportunity to highjack and leverage the Governments planned activity to broaden our thinking, accelerate ours plans

Drive Men ACWY/student programme awarenessInvolve parentsEncourage Men ACWY uptake

Engage with students directly Develop Student Union & volunteer/fundraising networksSpring into action

Student campaign

2015

Radio Networks

Cornwall, Newcastle, WM, Leeds, Oxford, Berkshire, Northampton, Lancashire, Wales, Suffolk, Cumbria, Leicester, Carmarthenshire, Southampton, Bristol, London, Devon, Kent, Three Counties, Merseyside, York, Tees, Cambridgeshire, Shropshire, Stoke, Jersey, Glasgow, Cardiff

Social objectives (Parents)

Build Men ACWY awareness and engage with parentsDrive web traffic to parent pack download pageRaise disease awareness amongst parents of teenagers

Student campaign

2015

Results

1000

parent pack orders

Over 1 million

parents

saw the campaign

across social channels

Student campaign

2015

Off to Uni Parent Pack/support

3 Phase Student Communication Programme: Off to

UniStudent campaign

2015

Plan:

Design:

Create reality-based student support materials to include S&S cards, posters and leaflets for use by

Universities.

Assets available via the website and

distribution.

Attend

RAG conference to build contacts and networks

Mobilise

volunteers to contact all UK

uni

versities

to build distribution routes and information paths

Phase 2:

Universities

Aug/Sept

Objectives:

Put meningitis on the

Universities

radar and encourage Men ACWY uptake

Create and provide support materials in advance of students returning

Build links with Student Unions & Rag committees

Build network of Men Now Volunteers contact points with

Universities

Student campaign

2015

Men Now Micro-site

University Support Pack

Student campaign

2015

Student Week – Social programme

Social objectives

Engage Universities and colleges online

Drive web traffic to Fight for Now student website

Raise disease awareness amongst hard to reach student age group

Results to date

Over 25 Universities engaged online

Contacted over 130 Universities and colleges online

Over 1/2 million students saw the campaign across

social channels

Student campaign

2015

Awareness 2016Parents

Promote Men ACWY vaccine, parent awareness packUniversitiesMail all Director’s of Student Services, sample pack of literatureAll resources available now – complete contact form in exhibition hallStudentsStudent Awareness Week 28 October 2016

Teygan’s story (Mum, Ailsa)

“Teygan was 19 when he went to Manchester University to study Russian. He was the middle child of three and the first to go to uni, which he was very excited about.

Teygan soon made friends in his halls. We would have short text messages and phone calls to reassure us he was happy and settling in to student life, and coping with his course.”

Teygan’s Story

“Although there was no general concerns health wise, he did have a cough which was noticeable when he spoke on the phone. This seemed to persist for a few weeks but never seemed to bother him too much.Whenever I brought attention to it, he would say 'well mum, everyone has a cough!’ and I was reassured by friends who had children at uni that it was probably fresher's flu – something that every student seems to get.In general everything seemed to be fine and he was enjoying student life in the city, going out at every opportunity but still giving time to his studies.”

Teygan’s Story

“Teygan came home for a few days during October half term and apart from tiredness, he gave no cause for concern. He returned to uni and went out for Halloween then out again on the Saturday night.On the Sunday, he went to bed and stayed there for the whole day. A check was made on him by someone at the halls at around 8pm and it was said that he gave the impression he was feeling better, but the conversation was held through his door. He was not seen.About an hour later, he got up and managed to open his door but collapsed in the hallway. He was found by a friend and they immediately saw that he had a rash.”

Teygan’s Story

“His friend knew it was one of the signs of meningitis and rang for an ambulance straight away. But he could not be saved.“Now, with the help of my family and friends, I want to do as much as I’m able, to raise awareness of this terrible disease at university especially.”

“So many people have expressed their shock to me at the sudden loss of our son to a disease that they thought was associated with the very young.”

MARM

Meningitis Aware Recognition Mark

Our vision is to provide a UK wide toolkit that ensures all universities are reaching a high level of meningitis awareness provision and public health protocol to gain our Meningitis Aware Recognition Mark. Working with the University of Bristol – sharing best practiceWorking with Public Health England and Universities UK to update ‘Managing meningococcal disease (septicaemia or meningitis) in

higher education institutions’

guidelines

Hope to launch later this year