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Source: http://www.somersetguardian.co.uk/Wa...ail/story.html
Warning issued over deadly strain of meningitis after a rise in the UK
By Somerset Guardian | Posted: September 24, 2015
A warning has been issued over a deadly strain of meningitis - which has seen an 88 per cent rise in cases in the last year.
Meningococcal W - known as 'MenW' - was first identified in Brazil in 2005 but has become increasingly prevalent in the UK.
It is the deadliest form of meningococcal disease with the highest death rate, but can be treated in intensive care if caught early enough.
New figures reveal that between July 2013 and June 2014 just 98 cases were reported in the England and Wales - but in the same period last year this had soared by 88 per cent to 184.
MenW now accounts for 15 per cent of all meningococcal disease in the UK - and experts are warning that the alarming rise will continue unless there is widespread uptake of a new vaccine...
Warning issued over deadly strain of meningitis after a rise in the UK
By Somerset Guardian | Posted: September 24, 2015
A warning has been issued over a deadly strain of meningitis - which has seen an 88 per cent rise in cases in the last year.
Meningococcal W - known as 'MenW' - was first identified in Brazil in 2005 but has become increasingly prevalent in the UK.
It is the deadliest form of meningococcal disease with the highest death rate, but can be treated in intensive care if caught early enough.
New figures reveal that between July 2013 and June 2014 just 98 cases were reported in the England and Wales - but in the same period last year this had soared by 88 per cent to 184.
MenW now accounts for 15 per cent of all meningococcal disease in the UK - and experts are warning that the alarming rise will continue unless there is widespread uptake of a new vaccine...