'You can't put a price on your life - get the meningitis jab'

Just days after Sophia Speirs celebrated her 19th birthday she was left fighting for her life in hospital after contracting Meningitis B (MenB).

Speirs, 22, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, was studying Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Manchester at the time and when she begun to feel ill thought it might be norovirus.

The condition left her hospitalised for nearly two weeks and she is now deaf in her right ear, but she said she felt she had been "lucky to get away with her life".

Following the deaths of two people at the University of Kent from an outbreak of meningitis, Speirs and her parents have called for others to get vaccinated against the illness.

Routine MenB vaccinations were rolled out by the NHS in 2015 as part of childhood immunisations, which means those aged over 10 are not covered, however the vaccine is available privately.

Speirs said she had no idea there was a MenB jab she could pay for privately, and if she had known she would have got it as "you can't put a price on your life".

Speirs said she first became ill just a few days after her celebrating her birthday.

"I had lots of friends visit and had been out with my uni friends. I was just doing normal student activities, which does involve being in a nightclub.

"On Tuesday morning I woke up feeling achy. I didn't go to uni that day and stayed in. It progressed really fast and within a few hours I was vomiting, every half hour, I couldn't keep any food or liquid down and it just got worse and worse.

"I had a fever, I was shivering, I was sensitive to light, I remember trying to watch TV to distract myself and the TV was hurting my eyes. I just thought it was norovirus - I'm a student, that sort of stuff happens all the time.

"I had a very sleepless night, throwing up and feeling worse and worse," she said.

Speirs said she texted her mum, Kate Speirs, who realised there was something wrong and an ambulance was called.

"It's all a bit of a blur... I was in intensive care for two or three nights and in hospital for 15 to 16 days," Speirs said.

She added being put on antibiotics straight away "saved her life".

"I've never felt so awful in my life, it was the worst time of my life, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

She was left with septic arthritis in her right hip, which needed to be operated on, and she now has a cochlear implant due to her hearing loss.

"It's just so important that students are protected against it [MenB]," she said.

Kate said Sophia was "fortunate to survive, but it could have easily gone the other way" and her heart goes out to anyone affected by the outbreak in Kent.

"We thought [Sophia] was completely vaccinated, we had never refused a vaccine and she had had all the vaccinations at school that were offered to her.

"We were not aware there was another vaccine that was available privately," Kate said.

Kate now volunteers with the charity Meningitis Now to raise awareness about the vaccine.

"I really think it should be offered as part of the NHS but it's not possible due to budget considerations.

"It's really important people are informed and given the information and chose if they do spend their money on the vaccine or not."

She said if anyone cannot afford the vaccine, which can cost about £200, they should be aware of the symptoms of MenB.

"Meningitis takes hold very quickly - it's different to flu, to a hangover, [as] you usually start to improve, but [with] meningitis it's such a rapid decline, seek medical advice," Kate said.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said since 2015 the MenB vaccine has been available on the NHS, but most students would not be vaccinated.

He said because of the situation in Kent a "targeted vaccination programme for students living in halls of residence at the University of Kent in Canterbury" would begin in the coming days.

Streeting told the House of Commons on Wednesday: "On the question of wider eligibility, we obviously follow the expert independent advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

"In light of this latest outbreak, I will be asking them to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines."

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