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Belfast residents could be struggling to cope with impact of meningitis
16 October 2009Around 2,500 people living in Belfast could be struggling to cope with the life changing after-effects of meningitis – and every year another 45 people in the city could find themselves fighting the impact of the devastating disease.
The UK’s longest established meningitis charity – the Meningitis Trust – believes that as many as 500,000 people living in the UK today have had either viral or bacterial meningitis. That means in an average size town with a population of 250,000 people, around 2,000 residents will have had some form of meningitis. Every year, there will, on average, be another 36 cases.
“Belfast currently has a population of around 315,000 which means there is every possibility that thousands of people living in the city have had this terrible disease – and their lives will never be the same again,” said Sue Davie, Chief Executive of the Meningitis Trust.
The figures come from a survey carried out by the Trust which provides lifelong support for people affected by meningitis. The findings, which suggest the true impact of meningitis is far greater than many people realise, also indicate that up to 10 million adults in the UK – as many as one adult in every four - knows of someone who has contracted the disease.
“That doesn’t mean they have read about it in the local newspaper or seen it on the local news,” said Sue Davie. “Two-thirds of those are relatives or friends and one in three is a work colleague or someone in their community – it is the people they see at the cinema or in the shops, people that they come into contact with every day.
“Meningitis can affect anyone, of any age, at any time, but it kills more children under the age of five than any other infectious disease. Currently around 18,000 children under the age of five live in Belfast and all of them are potentially at risk.
“Teenagers and students aged 15-23 are the second most at risk group and at the moment there are around 35,000 people in that age bracket living in Belfast. They are also at risk,” said Sue Davie.
The Meningitis Trust, a registered charity which relies on voluntary contributions, provides services and support for everyone touched by meningitis, as well as raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease. There are around 3,000 cases of bacterial meningitis every year in the UK and it is estimated there are twice that number of cases of viral meningitis.
Many people survive meningitis but thousands are left with debilitating after-effects including deafness, blindness, limb loss (where septicaemia has been involved), learning difficulties, memory issues and behavioural problems. The impact may also cause relationship difficulties and an enforced change of lifestyle.
More than 20,000 people are helped by the Meningitis Trust each year through a 24-hour helpline (0800 028 1828), counselling, home visits, one-to-one contact and community support. The Trust also gives away more than £140,000 every year in financial support grants and distributes millions of leaflets, posters, symptoms cards, information sheets and other materials which raise awareness of meningitis.
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