Health Secretary Wes Streeting has described a recent meningitis outbreak in Kent as 'unprecedented', according to major media reports. The specific type of meningitis involved and the number of hospitalizations or deaths have not been confirmed, nor have the public health measures in response been detailed. Meanwhile, TV presenter Lisa Snowdon, who contracted viral meningitis in late 2010, has just finished a grueling trek in the Moroccan desert for the charity Meningitis Now.
During her 2010 illness, scans showed her liver, gallbladder, and brain were swollen, major media reports indicate. According to Daily Mirror - 3am Showbiz, Lisa Snowdon described her experience, urging people not to ignore symptoms and to use resources like the Meningitis Now website. She recounted severe fevers and headaches, trying to self-medicate, and a moment of confusion where she considered letting go during a taxi ride before deciding to go to the hospital.
Don't be a hero. As I learned, your health is the most important thing. Familiarize yourself with the signs and the symptoms, because meningitis can manifest itself in a flu-like way and you can mistake it for a bug. The Meningitis Now website it's a brilliant resource.
According to Daily Mirror - 3am Showbiz, doctors initially told her they did not know what was wrong. Her current health condition and the final diagnosis and treatment for her 2010 illness remain unknown.
I was really ill when I had it, and stupidly didn't listen to my body. I just kept going. I had fevers; headaches that were beyond crippling and was trying to self-medicate between paracetamol and ibuprofen.
It was a Thursday night. It was raining and I remember not being able to see properly. Then I had to get onto a taxi bike to travel over to Billingsgate for something else, and the driver kept grabbing my hand and saying, "Hold on," and I just couldn't.
We were speeding through the streets and I remember thinking, "What if I just let go right now?" because I didn't want to have this pain anymore. I was so confused about what was happening to me. I had no fight left.
I need to go to hospital.
We don't know what's wrong with your daughter, yet but you both need to come to