World Meningitis Day

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WORLD MENINGITIS DAY

In November 2020, following years of campaigning made possible by your support, the World Health Organization (WHO) approved the first ever Global Roadmap to Defeat Meningitis by 2030. Now, we need your help once again to ensure that governments around the world act on the plan.

Meningitis is a global disease. It travels from person to person without respect for national borders. You have the power to take action and defeat meningitis by helping us raise vital awareness and life saving funds, to finally rid the world of this deadly and devastating disease.

This World Meningitis Day (April 24th 2021) we need you to take action and defeat meningitis.

The second-largest infectious killer of under 5s

According to new research, meningitis is not being prioritised appropriately in key global and regional health plans despite it being a leading killer of children.

Among preventable diseases, meningitis has one of the highest fatality rates and can cause devastating epidemics. Whilst deaths from measles and tetanus in children under five years of age are estimated to have decreased by 86% and 92%, respectively, between 1990 and 2017, deaths from meningitis decreased by just 51%.

Personal stories told for the very first time

Meningitis can happen to anyone, of any age, at any time. To mark World Meningitis Day, three brave people have told their stories of personally experiencing meningitis to raise life-saving awareness.

Paula Donnelly (pictured) was just 21 when she fell ill and, like many young people, brushed her illness off until it was almost too late. Rebecca Jones Leslie became very ill very quickly and, in her words, “knew [she] was dying”. Martin Fletcher forced himself into work despite feeling terrible – a decision which likely saved his life.

Write to your representative with a pre-written template

The World Health Organizaiton (WHO) might have endorsed the Global Roadmap to Defeat Meningitis by 2030, but nothing will change unless governments all over the world act on it.

A letter written to your local political representative can make a massive difference. Not sure what to say? Our friends at the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO) have created a personalised template letter to your local representative, highlighting the issues that matter most to you.

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