The Meningitis Research Foundation will today launch an awareness campaign aimed at people aged between 15 and 24, to coincide with the start of the academic year.
Information about the signs and symptoms of meningitis septicaemia will be issued through Youth Symptoms Cards and radio advertising. Funding will also be made available for a research programme addressing the problem of meningococcal disease in young adults.
Last year, there were 388 cases of bacterial meningitis, including meningococcal septicaemia, notified to the Department of Health. To date, notification of cases in 1997 is higher than in the same period in 1996.