Established in 1999, Meningitis UK is a national charity with a sole focus - to find vaccines to protect against all forms of meningitis and associated diseases.

Meningitis is a terrifying disease which can kill in less than four hours and tragically is most prevalent in children and young people. It strikes with incredible speed and can be very difficult to detect as its symptoms are so similar to the common cold and flu. There are also times when people show no, or very few, symptoms. For all these reasons, we believe that prevention is the only way to truly eradicate the disease.

Through lifesaving research we strive towards a better understanding of meningitis and to find a vaccine to prevent the heartache and suffering it can cause.

“As an organisation we are committed to the eventual eradication of meningitis. Pneumococcal disease is a major cause of meningitis in the UK and worldwide, and we hope that our collaborative effort under the auspices of this working group will work towards this ambitious goal.” Kate Rowland, Head of Development, Meningitis UK.