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26 May 2016

Information and Advice from Public Health England on Meningitis

Meningococcal infection is an uncommon but serious disease which can cause meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain) and septicaemia (blood poisoning).

It is important that people are aware of the symptoms for both.

The symptoms for meningitis are fever,vomiting, severe headache, stiff neck, dislike of bright light, seizures, confusion/delirium  and extreme sleepiness/difficulty waking.

For septicaemia, the symptoms to look out for are fever,vomiting, bruising/rash, rapid breath, joint/muscle pain, confusion/delirium, extreme sleepiness/difficulty waking  and cold hands and feet.

Please note that not all of these signs and symptoms may show at once. The illness may progress over one or two days, but can develop very rapidly, sometimes in a matter of hours.

Should you or someone you know develops these symptoms, or you think you might be at risk, you should contact your GP immediately or call the NHS non-emergency number, 111.

For further information, you can visit the NHS Choices page on Meningitis and  Septicaemia. Additionally you can contact the Meningitis Research Foundation on 0808 800 3344 or at www.meningitis.org, or the Meningitis Now Trust on 0808 80 10 338 or at www.meningitisnow.org


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