Website of the Department of Health
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Preventing meningitis
- 1. What is meningitis
- 2. Types of meningitis
- 3. Recognising meningococcal disease
- 4. Improving recognition
- 5. Protecting young children
- 6. Raising awareness among young people and students
- 7. The meningitis C campaign
- 8. Reducing the impact of group C meningococcal infection in young people
- 9. Group B meningococcal infection
- 10. Group A and Group W135 strains of meningococcal disease
- 11. Travellers to Hajj or Umrah
- 12. Links
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6. Raising awareness among young people and students
Since 1996, the Department of Health has provided an educational leaflet called 'Look out for your mate' which was made specifically for university students and has been distributed widely throughout the UK.
Look out for your mate
This leaflet highlights the symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia, advises students on what to look out for in their fellow college/university students and urges them to seek medical help if needed, and has been sent directly to every university and college in England, since 1996.
In the 2003 - 2006 'Look out for your mate' campaigns, NHS Immunisation Information, as part of the Department of Health, has worked in partnership with the charities, Meningitis Research Foundation and the Meningitis Trust. Every college and university in England were sent a range of 'Look out for your mate', Meningitis Research Foundation, and Meningitis Trust resources, to help raise meningitis awareness.
During the first nine years of the 'Look out for your mate' campaign, over 7.3 million 'Look out for your mate' flyers and 83,000 posters were sent to universities and colleges in England. In the last three years as part of this student meningitis awareness campaign, Department of Health has also sent out 528,000 Meningitis Research Foundation artcards and 20,000 posters, and 12,000 Meningitis Trust posters and 132,000 beermats.
The Government recommends that these materials are displayed in areas with the most visibility and access to students. Audits of the effectiveness of these materials indicate that students most commonly see or pick up meningitis awareness resources in halls of residence, student union bars and main reception areas.
Additional 'Look out for your mate' flyers and posters for universities and colleges can be ordered free of charge from Department of Health publications.
Aged under 25? You may be at risk of meningitis and septicaemia
As well as the ‘Look out for your mate’ resources, the Department of Health also provides a leaflet called ‘Aged under 25? You may be at risk of meningitis and septicaemia’, which is aimed at people under 25 years of age who may have missed out on being immunised against meningitis C at school.
This leaflet provides general information about meningitis C and the meningitis C vaccination programme, as well as raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia. ‘Aged under 25? You may be at risk of meningitis and septicaemia’ leaflet are available to view and download from the NHS Immunisation website.
Anyone under age 25 who missed out on the MenC vaccine is eligible to get the vaccine from their GP.
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