A life-saver!

May 13 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE speed with which meningitis strikes makes it one of the most feared and terrifying of diseases.

What, in the initial stages, may appear to be a severe headache, can quickly become far, far worse.

And we have, indeed, reported many heart-rending tales of youngsters struck down with alarming speed by this merciless killer.

So it is good news that meningitis C deaths among the under 19s plunged to zero last year.

Immunisation has become a hugely controversial issue in recent years, thanks in no small part to the long-running scare over the triple jab against measles, mumps and rubella and a possible link with autism.

But today’s meningitis landmark is the proof that not all jabs are bad news.