Parents sent urgent warning over surge in 'brain-invading' bug across UK

Parents successful the UK person been told to "act swiftly" as cases of a deadly encephalon corruption are connected the rise.

Meningitis tends to spike successful September. It infects the membranes that screen the encephalon and spinal cord.

It tin origin unwelcome symptoms specified arsenic headaches, vomiting, stiffness successful the neck, fever, and a sensitivity to light.

People usually drawback the bug from bacteria, viruses, fungi oregon parasites.

Meningitis tin beryllium prevented with a vaccine, foundation Meningitis Now has said.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures published past period amusement that the corruption is affecting much and much people.

There were 396 confirmed cases during 2022/23, compared to 205 cases successful 2021/22. Among them were 33 deaths.

Dr Tom Nutt, main enforcement astatine Meningitis Now, said: "While the alteration successful cases during the pandemic provided immoderate respite, this caller surge is simply a wide reminder that meningitis remains a captious wellness threat.

"We privation to accent the value of vigilance and vaccination. We impulse everyone, peculiarly those successful unvaccinated property groups, to familiarise themselves with the symptoms and to enactment swiftly if they fishy meningitis."

Julia Evans, 53, from Aberbargoed successful South Wales, was diagnosed with the corruption successful precocious 2019.

She described the horrible symptoms she suffered, telling The Sun: "I thought it was an aura and I was having a migraine At enactment I took immoderate paracetamol, but my headache was getting worse and each clip I tried to basal up it felt similar determination was an elephant connected my head."

Ms Evans mislaid her imaginativeness aft seeing flashing lights successful her eyes portion driving to work. Paramedics past enactment her connected a drip erstwhile she developed a fever.

She added: "They enactment maine connected a drip instantly and sent for an ambulance. By the clip it turned up each my senses were being affected.

"The advisor came to spot maine and wrong 5 minutes helium told maine helium thought I had meningitis.

"And I retrieve thinking, no, I can't beryllium - I thought meningitis was thing that lone happens to younger people."

The corruption has had a semipermanent interaction connected Ms Evans, who has to regularly sojourn infirmary and inactive has problems with her proceeding and vision.

She continued: "I inactive person tons of infirmary appointments," she said. "Meningitis damaged my eyesight.

"I mislaid proceeding successful my close ear, I present person to usage a walking instrumentality oregon a wheelchair, I person weakness down the full close broadside of my assemblage and I person occupation with assemblage pain, headaches and insomnia.

"I besides person immoderate nervus harm successful my spine due to the fact that of the lumbar puncture.

"That's the happening that I've learned implicit the years, immoderate benignant of harm to the encephalon tin impact each azygous portion of your body.

"It's conscionable a caller life. When thing similar this happens to you, erstwhile you're near with galore disabilities - you conscionable person to find a caller mode of living."

Below is simply a database of symptoms that could bespeak meningitis:

A precocious fever implicit 37.5 degrees - the mean quality temperature

Being sick

A headache

A blotchy rash that doesn't slice erstwhile a solid is rolled implicit it

Stiffness, particularly successful the neck

Sensitivity to agleam lights

Drowsiness, irritability oregon deficiency of energy

Cold hands and feet

Seizures

The classical rash associated with meningitis usually looks similar small, reddish pinpricks astatine first.