We need help to help others

Mar 13 2008

Meningitis is a devastating disease and we now believe that as many as 500,000 people living in the UK today have had either viral or bacterial meningitis.

To put that into perspective — in an average-size town with a population of 250,000 people, about 2000 people could have had some form of meningitis. And every year there will, on average, be another 12 cases.

Additionally one adult in every four in the UK say they know of someone who has had meningitis. Two-thirds of those are relatives or friends, and one-in-three is a work colleague or someone in their community.

Many people do survive meningitis but with debilitating after-effects including deafness, blindness, limb loss (where septicaemia has been involved), learning difficulties, memory issues and behavioural problems.

That is where the Meningitis Trust can help.

More than 20,000 people are helped by the Meningitis Trust every year through its helpline, counselling, home and hospital visits and community support. It gives away more than £120,000 every year in financial support grants, helping hundreds of people cope with the impact of meningitis.

Additionally almost two million items of information are distributed annually to make people more aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis, and the lifeline that the Meningitis Trust provides.

The Trust, a registered charity, relies entirely on the generosity of individuals, companies and organisations.

As its president, I am asking readers to help us help all those people who have to cope with the impact of this dreadful disease every day of their lives. To find out how, visit our website www.meningitis-trust.org

Andrew Harvey, ex-BBC TV and ITN News presenter.