A 20 year old from Carlisle has tragically lost his life to meningococcal W disease. Karl Rudd was said to be a talented drummer and, speaking to the News & Star, his family described him as the kind of person everyone clicked with.
Rob Dawson, Director of Support at Meningitis Research Foundation said, “We are saddened to hear what happened to Karl and the thoughts and condolences of everyone at MRF are with Karl’s family and friends. Our support team are hear for them if they need us.
“The MenACWY vaccination programme was introduced for teenagers and first year university students in 2015 to stop a rapid rise in cases of the particularly deadly type of meningitis and septicaemia, known as meningococcal group W disease, or MenW.
“Since then, uptake of the vaccine has been high in teenagers who have been offered it through school. However, older teenagers needed to book an appointment with their GP to get their free vaccine. Unfortunately, we received many calls to our helpline from people who had not been informed by their GP that they were eligible for the vaccine.
“It’s important for all eligible people to get the vaccine to protect themselves. We continue to campaign and raise awareness of MenW meningitis and the MenACWY vaccine so that all young people who are eligible for the vaccine get it.”