{"id":799771,"date":"2026-10-12T03:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T03:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/799771\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T03:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T03:22:15","slug":"i-could-have-died-from-meningitis-before-my-first-week-of-university-how-to-tell-its-not-just-freshers-flu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/799771\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I could have died from meningitis before my first week of university \u2013 how to tell it\u2019s not just freshers\u2019 flu\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Independent<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s life or death if you catch it too late,\u201d said Sofia Mattacola Westley, a university student<\/a> who contracted meningitis<\/a> last year. \u201cThis illness is unlike anything you\u2019ll ever have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Westley\u2019s illness began during a concert, which was supposed to be the highlight of her pre-university summer when she was 18. \u201cI never thought something like that could happen \u2013 I didn\u2019t even know what meningitis was<\/a>,\u201d she told The Independent.<\/p>\n

Only hours after attending, she found herself experiencing a range of symptoms<\/a>: \u201cI got a fever, and then a migraine, and then I was vomiting, and faint… it was just awful. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe ended up going to hospital, and for five days, nobody knew what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

After multiple MRIs and tests<\/a>, it was almost a week after being admitted that Ms Westley was diagnosed with meningitis. \u201cI really could have died then,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n

\"SofiaSofia Mattacola Westley recalled the path which led to her being diagnosed with meningitis (The Independent)<\/p>\n

She tells her story as a new university year begins, after meningitis outbreaks were recorded at campuses in Kent, Canterbury, Oxfordshire, Dorset, and Berkshire earlier in 2026.<\/p>\n

The outbreak in Kent<\/a> in March triggered mass panic and a public response from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA<\/a>) after 15 cases emerged within 48 hours. <\/p>\n

In total, 348 cases of the illness in the UK have been confirmed this year, with 26 of these resulting in death.<\/p>\n

The illness, which can be caused by several strains of different viruses and bacteria, leads to inflammation around the brain and spinal cord, explained Daniel Turnbull, a professional standards pharmacist at Pharmacy2U. It can sometimes lead to sepsis and become fatal.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite having some similar symptoms [to freshers\u2019 flu], meningitis is a far more serious, and potentially fatal, illness,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The illness is typically transmitted through prolonged, close contact. Because of this, university students are particularly at risk, as living in close quarters, sharing items, and mingling at busy freshers\u2019 events can spark outbreaks.<\/p>\n

\"AA year on, Ms Westley still struggles with lingering effects of the illness (The Independent)<\/p>\n

It is thought around 10 per cent of people carry bacteria which causes meningitis without ever showing symptoms, the UKHSA said.<\/p>\n

But even after surviving the acute infection, the long-term reality can be debilitating. <\/p>\n

Ms Westley\u2019s recovery process forced her to put her plans to attend university on hold for a year. \u201cIt was really bad,\u201d the 19-year-old explained. \u201cAfter I got meningitis, I got diagnosed with something called low-pressure headaches, which is basically where any small thing you do, small activity or action, can instantly cause a headache.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven a year on, I\u2019ve still got so much fatigue. Like I struggle with doing everyday things that before would have excited me, and I don\u2019t know… I\u2019ve lost a lot of passion for things that I loved. <\/p>\n

\u201cLike I\u2019m not as adventurous. If I have to go on a long car journey, for example, all I think about before is: do I have enough caffeine with me? Am I going to get sick? Do I have everything I need medication-wise?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MsMs Westley has stressed the importance of raising awareness about the effects of meningitis (The Independent)<\/p>\n

Now, Ms Westley has urged young adults to consider how easily the illness can spread.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see people doing things like sharing drinks or food \u2013 all these little things that you do with your friends that seem normal, and you trust them because they\u2019re your friends,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t matter how much you know that person, they could be a carrier, even if they have no symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her plea to new and returning students is to stay vigilant, take symptoms seriously rather than dismissing them as \u201cfreshers\u2019 flu\u201d, and drop the assumption that dangerous infections only happen to someone else.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone thinks \u2018I\u2019m not going to get it\u2019 \u2013 but it\u2019s not this rare thing,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n

\"AA meningitis outbreak in Canterbury earlier this year, which sparked a vaccination rollout to students in the area (PA Wire)<\/p>\n

In a bid to prevent outbreaks, young people in the UK can now access a free vaccination programme through the NHS<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The jab is available to anyone in the Year 13 age group, as well as those who are starting university as an undergraduate or moving into further education accommodation for the first time.<\/p>\n

Although the NHS notes the vaccine does not eliminate the chance of contracting meningitis, it can significantly reduce the risk of hospitalisation and long-term complications.<\/p>\n

Stressing the severity of the illness, Ms Westley said: \u201cIt\u2019s not like you\u2019re just coughing and you\u2019ve got an itchy throat or your muscles are a bit tired. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people think it\u2019s just a worse version of freshers\u2019 flu \u2013 it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FreeFree meningitis jabs are being offered to students across the UK (PA)<\/p>\n

Symptoms to be aware of include a high temperature, severe headaches, sensitivity to light, neck stiffness (not being able to touch your chin to your chest), and on some occasions, a bruise-like rash.<\/p>\n

While rashes are often associated as a key marker <\/a>of meningitis, Mr Turnbull warned: \u201cSymptoms can occur in any order \u2013 you should never wait for a rash to appear to seek medical attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Ms Westley, awareness surrounding meningitis is the most important step to preventing its spread.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy advice to people would just be: be proactive. Understand the symptoms and how it spreads, because I think a lot of people just don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let being careful stop you from living your life. But know what it is, so it doesn\u2019t take your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

More advice on the illness can be found through the Meningitis Now charity, or by calling its helpline on 0808 80 10 388.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":799772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[59,102,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-799771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=799771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/799772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=799771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=799771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=799771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}