Awareness week: The Meningitis Research Foundation is concerned that the success of recent vaccination programmes has led many people to believe that meningitis and septicaemia are diseases of the past.
However, the vaccination programme only targets so-called group C meningitis and other potentially fatal forms of meningitis, including bacterial meningitis, continue to arise.
There were 250 cases of bacterial meningitis in Ireland last year which resulted in 14 deaths. Throughout February this month the Meningitis Foundation and Boots chemists will work together to raise awareness of meningitis and septicaemia, the blood poisoning form of the disease.
Free information cards indicating signs and symptoms of both meningitis and septicaemia are available. Septicaemia symptoms include a rash, fever/vomiting, rapid or unusual breathing, stomach, joint and muscle pain and drowsiness. Meningitis symptoms include a severe headache, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights and drowsiness. The incidence of group C meningitis has decreased by 96 per cent since the introduction of the vaccination programme in 2000.
The Meningitis Research Foundation 24- hour helpline is 1890 413344.
