Meningitis: Young People

In a 2023 survey of 1,003 teenagers aged 13 to 16 years old, when asked ‘How serious would it be if you got each of the following diseases?’ awareness of the seriousness of meningitis and septicaemia was very high. 98% of respondents answered that septicaemia would be very or fairly serious and 96% for meningitis. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/parental-attitudes-to-vaccination-in-young-children#what-young-people-and-their-parents-think-about-teenage-vaccination-in-england

A similar survey was completed in December 2025, and the summary findings from this survey will be published in the coming months. Information about the early signs of invasive meningococcal disease and septicaemia are available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/meningitis/

Further information about the outbreak in Kent is available at the following link:

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/03/18/meningitis-b-outbreak-what-you-need-to-know/

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published information via social media, news stories, and a blog to provide accurate information about invasive meningococcal disease.

Charitable organisations, including Meningitis Now, have launched targeted campaigns to improve understanding of symptoms and promote vaccine uptake where available.

The UKHSA and the National Health Service will continue to work with partners to promote awareness of invasive meningococcal disease symptoms, encourage vaccination where appropriate, and support young people in understanding how best to protect themselves.

In addition to this work, the UKHSA produces a university vaccine communications toolkit in collaboration with charities and university organisations, which is available at the following link:

https://find-public-health-resources.service.gov.uk/University%20vaccine%20communications%20toolkit/UNI24

This document collates key messaging around vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases, including invasive meningococcal disease, and the resources freely available to universities and other higher education institutions to support key messaging. This is updated each year and shared with the distribution lists of Universities UK and the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education.