Meningitis hits lives of 1,700 Oldhamers

AROUND 1,700 people living in Oldham could be struggling to cope with the after-effects of meningitis — and every year another 31 people in the borough could find themselves fighting the disease.

The UK’s longest established meningitis charity, the Meningitis Trust, believes that as many as 500,000 people living in the UK today have had either viral or bacterial meningitis.

That means in a town with a population of 250,000, around 2,000 residents will have had some form of meningitis.

Sue Davie, chief executive of the Meningitis Trust, said: “Oldham currently has a population of around 217,000 which means there is every possibility that thousands of people living in the borough have had this terrible disease and their lives will never be the same.”

The figures come from a survey carried out by the trust which provides lifelong support for people affected by meningitis.

The findings, which suggest the true impact of the disease is far greater than many people realise, also indicate that up to 10 million adults in the UK — as many as one adult in every four — knows of someone who has contracted the disease.

Sue added: “That doesn’t mean they have read about it in the Chronicle.

“Two-thirds of those are relatives or friends and one in three is a work colleague or someone in their community.

“Meningitis can affect anyone, at any time. But it kills more children under the age of five than any other infectious disease.

“Teenagers and students aged 15 to 23 are the second most at-risk group and at the moment there are around 26,000 people in that age bracket living in Oldham.”

The Meningitis Trust, a charity which relies on voluntary contributions, provides services and support for everyone touched by meningitis, as well as raising awareness of the disease.

“There are around 3,000 cases of bacterial meningitis every year in the UK and it is estimated there are twice that number of cases of viral meningitis.

More than 20,000 people are helped by the Meningitis Trust each year through a 24-hour helpline (0800-028 1828), counselling, home visits, and community support.