With the summer break upon us, now is the perfect time for all students and their parents to check their vaccines are up to date, particularly before they head off to university or college in the autumn.
NHS England Regional Medical Director for Primary Care and GP, Dr Faisel Baig, said: “If you think you may have missed some routine childhood or adolescent vaccines, including the MenACWY vaccine, which provides protection against meningitis, it is really important that you check your vaccination status with your General Practice or School Immunisation Team.
“Making sure students are fully vaccinated well before they head off to university or college is so important as it will give the vaccines time to build up their immunity, particularly against meningitis. Whilst meningitis is rare, it can be extremely serious and university and college students are more at risk due to their new, close-living arrangements and new social circles during those first few weeks.”
Someone who knows only too well the seriousness of the disease is 20-year-old Amelie Dissanayaka (pictured), a second-year history student in Durham.
“When I was a teenager I was diagnosed with Lupus, a long-term auto-immune condition which meant I spent periods of time in hospital and missed my routine vaccinations in school,” Amelie said. “My mum saw the reminder on social media and I contacted my GP who gave me the vaccines that I had missed including the one for meningitis.
“Thank goodness I caught up on my vaccines prior to starting at university as the hospital doctor said it had probably saved me from more serious consequences. I had only been at university two weeks when I became really ill with a high temperature, vomiting, aching limbs and the most horrendous headache. We all thought it was freshers’ flu or just due to too much alcohol, but 12 hours later I ended up in Durham A&E where they immediately suspected meningitis.”
Her mum Amanda said: “It was an extremely scary time, seeing your daughter screaming in pain, and having to endure a lumbar puncture is not something I would want any other parent to go through. The lumbar puncture confirmed she had bacterial meningitis; the most serious type and we were extremely worried about her and the potential impact the disease may have on her. She consequently spent three weeks in hospital and missed the whole of her first term at University which impacted her on both a social and academic level, but thankfully made a full recovery with no lasting damage.”
The MenACWY vaccine is routinely offered to those in school years 9 and 10 but some students will have missed or chosen not to have it at that time. It’s not too late, anyone who has missed out can still get a free vaccination with their GP until their 25th birthday. If you think this may have happened to you or your child, then please contact your GP practice and ask them to check their health records.
More info on routine NHS immunisations and their timings can be found here: NHS vaccinations and when to have them – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
