Charity warn meningitis symptoms are just like a hangover

Frightened students are being warned that meningitis symptoms can be the same as having a hangover. 

Meningitis Now are stopping students outside the the robbo to tell them how to spot the symptoms, after a Northumbria student died from the lethal illness last week.

According to the charity, indicators include severe headaches and a dislike of bright lights.

The warnings come just weeks after Rebecca Edward, a 22-year-old student at Northumbria, died from the illness. She had recently come over to England to complete the final year of her law degree, but passed away in the Royal Victoria Infirmary on 1st October.

The charity have been handing leaflets out just outside the Robinson Library.

A spokesperson for the charity said: ‘The university is not worried about an outbreak. We just want to raise awareness, especially as the symptoms of meningitis can appear to be similar to that of a hangover.

“It is simply coincidence that we are campaigning the week after the sad incident with a Northumbria student, this is an annual campaign that we deliver.”

The charity hold a similar event every year to raise awareness of the disease and to encourage students to register with a doctor. Students should get a Men C booster jab  to prevent meningitis group C and septicaemia. But the jab does not protect against all forms of the disease – so it’s crucial for students to be aware of the symptoms.

And the campaign has certainly impacted on the students at Newcastle. Stephen Graham, a first-year Newcastle told The Tab: “Having had such an animated start to uni life, it is a massive shock to hear of such a sudden death. I think it’s essential for students to be wary of meningitis so that circumstances like this can be prevented in the future.”

To find out more about the symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia and what to do if they are discovered. visit http://www.meningitisnow.org