Meningitis UK’s sole focus is to fund lifesaving research to develop a vaccine to eradicate all forms of meningitis and its associated diseases.

Meningitis is a devastating disease, which can strike with incredible speed and affects babies, children and young adults in particular. Of those who do survive, many will be left with horrendous after effects such as amputations, deafness and brain damage.

Knowing the symptoms and seeking prompt treatment can make a vital difference to the outcome. However sadly, sometimes even if the symptoms are recognised, prompt treatment sought and the best medical care is given, it is still not enough to save a life.

Because of the speed it strikes, the fact that it is so difficult to diagnose and because there are occasions when people show no or very few symptoms, we feel the only way to truly eradicate the disease is through the development of a preventative vaccine, which is our sole focus.

Great advances have been made over the last 20 years including vaccines against Hib, Meningitis C and Pneumococcal Meningitis but there is still no vaccine to protect against all forms of meningitis including the most common form in the UK – Meningitis B, which continues to kill hundreds of people per year.

Last year we launched our ‘Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign’ to raise £7million to fund the research needed to achieve this goal. Our scientists believe that if we can raise the money needed to support the current breakthroughs being made, a vaccine could be developed within the next few years. The more support we get and the sooner we get it, the sooner we can develop a vaccine and the more lives we can save.

Meningitis UK’s Chief Executive, Steve Dayman lost his own son to meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia over 20 years ago and has since dedicated to his life to raising money to fund research to prevent other families from having to go through the same heartache.

We have thousands of friends and supporters who have experienced the devastation of meningitis and together we hope to put a stop to this awful disease and the subsequent pain and suffering it causes.

We receive no government funding so are entirely reliant on the support of the general public.