Student describes agony of MenB as jabs rolled out

A former student has described the agony of meningitis B as freshers across the south-west of England are being urged to get vaccinated.

When Tiff O'Connor, from South Gloucestershire, contracted meningitis in her first year of university eight years ago, doctors said the fact she had been vaccinated bought her crucial time.

So far, nearly 6,500 doses of the MenB vaccine have been given to young people across Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Bristol as part of a "one-off" NHS vaccination programme launched this summer.

Matthew Dominey, from NHS England South West, said: "MenB can be life-threatening, so it is vital that those eligible take up the offer of getting vaccinated."

First-year university students are about seven times more at risk of meningococcal disease than other young people of the same age, according to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

O'Connor was 20-years-old when she contracted meningitis at university in Bristol.

She said it happened "quite suddenly" and she got "really poorly very, very quickly".

"My head was a pain that I'd never experienced before," she said.

"I truly thought it was going to melt out of my ears, it was so painful."

Despite being put on a course of antibiotics by her doctor for suspected tonsillitis, it was her cat that helped raise the alarm.

"My cat, the next day very early in the morning, [she] was screaming at my mum, miaowing quite loud," she said.

"And she led her into my bedroom and that's when my mum found me convulsing in bed."

Rushed to intensive care, she was put into a medically induced comma.

"They had to cover me in ice to try and cool my temperature down," she said.

"[And] my family were told to gather around and say goodbye."

When she woke up, she was paralysed from the neck down and told she might never walk again but three and a half months later, she took her first steps.

Despite having the MenB vaccine, she still contracted MenB and encephalitis at university.

"[Doctors] said it was a good thing that I'd been vaccinated because my immune system was able to sustain me for significant amount of time before I was able to get help," she said.

"My immune system was able to recognise the infection and I was able to fight it."

According to the UKHSA, while the vaccine offers protection against "most meningococcal strains" it does not protect against all infections that can cause meningitis and septicaemia.

The symptoms of meningitis include a high fever with cold hands and feet, agitation, confusion, vomiting and headaches.

In March, an outbreak of Meningitis B among students and young people in Kent was described as unprecedented and explosive.

Within weeks, in Kent, there were 29 confirmed or suspected cases and two deaths.

This summer, a "one-off, time-limited" MenB vaccination programme was launched targeting those at highest immediate risk including school leavers and first-year university students.

Sarah Gallagher, NHS Gloucestershire's vaccine programme clinical lead, said students and young people are particularly at risk.

"They live in close proximity to each other, they socialise together so the transmission of Meningitis B is a lot easier," she said.

"You need to be in close proximity to catch it, sharing a glass, sharing your vape, being in close contact with somebody."

Gallagher said the vaccine is particularly important for the majority of students who were not vaccinated as a child.

"There are currently two meningitis vaccines being offered in the UK - MenACWY vaccine is offered at school and MenB is offered to babies.

"The Meningitis B vaccine isn't actually part of the UK schedule until 2015 - so people who are now leaving school and starting university or college actually missed it which is why this one-off vaccination programme has been arranged."

Young people can book to get their MenB vaccine at high street pharmacies across England.

Two jabs offer the best protection. First doses are available until 31 December 2026, with second doses available until 31 March 2027.

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