As thousands of young people head off to university over the next fortnight, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has urged students to make sure they have been fully vaccinated against meningitis and other diseases before the start of the academic year.
With childhood vaccination rates still yet to recover following the Andrew Wakefield MMR vaccine scare of the late 1990s – now totally discredited – the agency has joined forces with the charities Meningitis Now and the Meningitis Research Foundation to raise awareness of the risks of the condition and the dangers of not being fully vaccinated.
The NHS ‘MenACWY’ immunisation programme for schools is offered to all pupils in year 9 and 10. However, the UKHSA’s vaccine coverage data suggests around one in eight new students going to college and university this year remain unprotected against these four strains of meningococcal bacteria, each of which can cause long-term disability, serious health complications and can be life threatening.
The latest 2021 to 2022 MenACWY coverage data shows the vaccination rate has fallen to 79.6%, which means that the figure will rise to around one in five pupils being unprotected when they start college or university in a few years’ time if they don’t catch up with their vaccinations.
Meningitis and vaccination
All first-year students starting college or university this September and returning students who are not up to date with all their childhood and adolescent vaccines are at increased risk of serious diseases such as meningitis, septicaemia and measles, the UKHSA has warned, as they mix with large numbers of other students from around the country and overseas.
It is therefore urging all students to make sure they are up to date with all free routine NHS vaccines, and to know the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia as it could help save a life.
The three vaccines students should be up to date with before starting university or college include:
- MenACWY – protecting against four common strains causing meningitis and septicaemia
- MMR – protecting against measles, mumps, and rubella
- HPV – protecting against human papillomavirus-related cancers such as cervical cancer and other cancers of the head, neck and genital areas, and genital warts
Dr Shamez Ladhani, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “Every year we see new and returning students get seriously ill, with some tragically dying, from what are preventable diseases.
“With large numbers of students coming together from around the country and overseas for the first time, and closely mixing, infection can spread easily.
“Ensuring you are protected against these deadly bugs is vital. If you’ve missed out on your meningitis (MenACWY), HPV or MMR jabs then contacting your GP for the vaccine should be top of your list of urgent things to do before starting college or university.”
Claire Wright, head of insights and policy at the Meningitis Research Foundation, said: “Meningitis can kill healthy people within hours and in the early stages is difficult to distinguish from a bad hangover or more common milder illnesses. By taking up the free MenACWY vaccine, students are not only protecting themselves but also protecting others by stopping the bacteria from being passed on.”
The MenACWY vaccine is routinely offered to those in school years 9 and 10 but anyone who has missed out can still get a free jab with their GP until their 25th birthday.
Meningitis and septicaemia can develop suddenly. Symptoms include a blotchy rash that doesn’t fade when a glass is rolled over it, fever, headache, aching muscles and joints and a stiff neck. The MenW strain can also cause vomiting and diarrhoea in teenagers and young adults.
Urgent antibiotic treatment and hospitalisation is critical.
Meningitis Now chief executive Dr Tom Nutt added: “We know vaccination is the best way to protect against the devastation that meningitis can cause. Over many years the NHS’s vaccination programme has resulted in a steady drop in the number of cases of the disease, with countless lives saved as a result.
“But more needs to be done. We estimate that up to half a million young people currently aged between 18 to 24 years old may have missed their MenACWY vaccine at school. In addition, we are growing increasingly concerned about the recent rise in meningitis cases across the UK. While the number of cases is still below those recorded pre-pandemic, any increase in the disease is worrying.”
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