What is meningitis? Symptoms, risks and how to protect yourself

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Students in a lecture theatre

Meningitis is a serious condition where the protective layers (meninges) around the brain and spinal cord become inflamed. It has many causes, such as different germs, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In the UK, most cases are due to bacteria or viruses. Some of the bacteria that cause meningitis can also lead to septicaemia (blood …

What is measles and why is it so important we're all up to date with our MMR vaccine?

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Children and Young people, Immunisation and vaccination
Young boy blowing out candles on a birthday cake with other children in the background

As families prepare for travel over the summer break, there is more chance for measles to be brought in from countries where there are outbreaks. Catching up children who missed out on their MMR vaccines is a priority, in order to help prevent another rise in measles cases.

My measles journey: ‘I woke to find a rash all over my body’

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Posters from the Why We Get Vaccinated community engagement campaign in Bengali

On 19 May 2016, I was admitted to Barnet General Hospital with measles. I’d started to feel unwell a few days prior to this with a sore throat and temperature, but didn’t think it was anything serious so started a self-care routine of taking paracetamol and warm fluids with some rest.

Getting back on track to eliminating measles

We have had some fantastic news recently.  More children have been vaccinated against measles and the number of measles infections has reduced. This means that we are getting back on track towards eliminating the disease. Measles has been relatively rare …