Bristol student describes how cat helped saved her life after developing MenB
A former student shares her survival story of contracting meningitis B while at university to encourage freshers to get vaccinated. Health officials are urging young people in the UK to participate in a new NHS vaccination program.
Why it matters
Meningitis B is a life-threatening disease, and university students are at a significantly higher risk of infection.
A former student has described the agony of meningitis B as freshers across the south-west of England are being urged to get vaccinated.
When Tiff O'Connor, from South Gloucestershire, contracted meningitis in her first year of university eight years ago, doctors said the fact she had been vaccinated bought her crucial time.
So far, nearly 6,500 doses of the MenB vaccine have been given to young people across Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Bristol as part of a "one-off" NHS vaccination programme launched this summer.
Matthew Dominey, from NHS England South West, said: "MenB can be life-threatening, so it is vital that those eligible take up the offer of getting vaccinated."
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