MENINGITIS Now has today stressed the importance of teenage meningitis awareness, following the harrowing case of 18-year-old student Lauren Sandell, who died from Men W, following alleged vaccine confusion at her GP surgery.

As the North Essex coroner made their verdict last week, Lauren’s mother, Sharon Sandell, joined parents across the UK vowing to raise awareness of meningitis, particularly amongst teenagers who remain at risk from this growing strain of the disease.

Reading Lauren’s story, Meningitis Now, which is about to launch a major campaign aimed at protecting teenagers from the disease, has stressed the need to ensure that teenagers, particularly those intending to go to university this September, have had the Men ACWY jab and that they recognise that this does not protect them against all strains of the disease, particularly Men B, which they are very unlikely to have been protected against.

For clarity, the Men ACWY vaccine programme has been offered in schools since Autumn 2015 to those around 14 years of age. It was also offered to 17 and 18-year-olds in a three year catch up programme and continues to be offered to new university entrants up to the age of 25.

Dr Tom Nutt, chief executive of Meningitis Now, said: “Lauren’s tragic death sadly demonstrates some of the challenges we all face around meningitis, particularly around vaccine availability and the false sense of security that this one vaccination may encourage.

“The reality is that whilst many young people going to university in the autumn will have been vaccinated against Men ACWY, not all young people will have received this – we’d urge all parents to make sure their children are up to date with their vaccinations, especially those hoping to head off to university this autumn.

“It is also important to remember that the Men ACWY vaccine will not protect against all causes of meningitis, especially the Men B strain of the disease, which causes more cases in the UK and for which, the majority of teenagers will not have been vaccinated against.

“Given this fact I would urge both parents and young people to learn the signs and symptoms of meningitis and act fast if they suspect it, because vaccinations alone will not protect them against every cause of the disease,” Tom added.

Teenagers are the second most at risk group of contracting meningitis after babies and toddlers and up to a quarter of students carry the bacteria that can cause the disease, compared with one in ten of the general population.