Students warned not to confuse meningitis for hangover and to get vaccinated

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Students have been urged to get vaccinated ahead of returning to university to protect themselves against a number of life-threatening illnesses.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has asked young people and their parents to check they are up to date on all jabs before they return to the mass mingling that is university.For new students, Freshers' Week means meeting a wave of new people, both from the UK and overseas.Health officials are concerned this mixing could spur the spread of serious diseases that could impact those who are not fully immunised.Meningitis charities have joined the call, warning that the disease can be difficult to distinguish from a bad hangover in its early stages.The UKHSA said the three vaccines students should get are MenACWY, to protect against four common strains causing meningitis and septicaemia; MMR, to protect against measles, mumps, rubella; and HPV for female students to protect against cervical and other cancers caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and genital warts.Students can check with their GP practice to find out which vaccines they have had or need.The UKHSA said that students should ideally have any vaccines they have missed at least two weeks before leaving for university, but that they should otherwise arrange to have them as soon as possible.Meningitis and septicaemia can develop suddenly and symptoms to look out for include a blotchy rash that does not fade under a glass, fever, headache, aching muscles and joints and a stiff neck.Did you know you can keep up to date with the latest news by signing up to our daily newsletter?We send a morning and lunchtime newsletter covering the latest headlines every day.We also send coronavirus updates at 5pm on weekdays, and a