News reporter 1: “In health headlines tonight, two college campuses are now dealing with a meningitis outbreak.”

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News reporter 2: “It is, from a public health perspective, a medical emergency.”

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News reporter 3: “What they thought was  bad earache turned into life-threatening bacterial meningitis.”

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News reporter 4: “ It is a serious and lethal disease and parents need to be warned about some of the symptoms."

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Parent 1: “The doctor had said to me that, you know, he could die from this.”

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News reporter 5: “Meningitis infects the bloodstream and can to lead to brain damage, amputations and sometimes death.”

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News reporter 6: “Cases have spiked in the past year with devastating consequences for families.”

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Parent 2: “He got to hospital at 7:20 and was dead by 10 o’clock.”

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News reporter 7: “Did you know anything about this meningitis, had you ever even heard of it?”

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Parent 2: “Never heard of it…”

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Voice over: “Meningitis and Septicaemia are medical emergencies that can kill in hours. Millions of cases of meningitis occur each year, and in 2017, the disease caused 300,000 deaths. Those who lose someone to the disease have their lives changed forever.”

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Mary Clough: “In less than 24 hours from the onset of her flu-like symptoms, she was gone. You don’t ever get over losing a child. Ever. You learn to live with the pain.”

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Voice over: “For those who survive bacterial meningitis, 1 in 5 experience lifelong and serious aftereffects.”

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Tilly Lockey: “Hi my name is Tilly and I lost both my hands to meningitis when I was 15 months old. As a survivor myself I know that there are so many consequences and side-effects that can come with meningitis. You won’t discover how much of an effect it has on you until you get a bit older. “

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Bruce Langoulant: “My youngest daughter at the time, Ashleigh, back in 1989, contracted pneumococcal meningitis. Ashleigh has never walked or talked, she has cerebral palsy. She is profoundly deaf, she has an intellectual disability and she just turned 30. Hers is a life that could have been magnificent, in a normal sense. It is still magnificent, but her life is totally different to ours.”

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Voice over: “Meningitis can take so much in just a few hours, but everyone can take a small action today to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

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Siobhan Holohan: “After losing our 4-ear-old daughter Ava to meningitis in 2008, we set up the organisation Act for Meningitis in Ireland. Our aim is to create awareness around the signs and symptoms of the disease and to make people aware of the vaccines that are out there, and to ensure that their vaccinations are up to date.”
 

Michael Redfearn: “To defeat meningitis, I am going to continue doing what I’ve been doing for the past 21 years. That is to really work as hard as possible to get the word out about how we can prevent tragedies that are happening around the world. “

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Dr. Isabella M. Kamere Mueni: “It is largely misdiagnosed and really it’s not known as much in Kenya. But maybe with more awareness, people will be more aware of it and be able to take preventative measures.”
 

Mary Clough: “I have learned a lot about meningitis. There was not a vaccine available for us at the time, but since then, there are vaccines available that can prevent this horrible disease and I urge all parents: it doesn’t matter how old your children are – we should, all of us, be vaccinated against this disease.”

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Santiago Garcia Blanco: [Speaking in Spanish] “To defeat meningitis would be to fulfill our organisation’s vision and mission. Personally, it would be a dream come true, which I would like to dedicate to all our deceased children as well as to all the survivors who have had to go through life with disabilities.”

 

Dr Lulu Bravo: “Let’s really do it, let’s work together, let’s get everybody involved, and put our minds together.”

 

Dr Ranj Singh: “Together, we can defeat meningitis.”