Sister urges students to get MenB vaccine after brother's fatal infection

In August 2017, 18-year-old George Zographou died from meningitis B after falling ill at the Boardmasters surf and music festival, a tragedy his sister Nicole Zographou now uses to promote vaccination. The coroner’s report indicated that a MenB jab would have saved his life. Since June and July, the NHS has run a one-off programme offering two free doses of the MenB vaccine to students in England, Scotland and Wales, yet only about one in four eligible young people have been vaccinated.

The rollout follows the UK's largest meningitis B outbreak in Kent and additional clusters in Oxfordshire, which together have resulted in three teenage deaths. Nicole, a senior health public practitioner, warns that the disease can progress rapidly from flu-like symptoms to fatal illness, urging students to book appointments at local pharmacies. Pharmacist Wendy Lee echoes the call, noting that the vaccine requires two doses spaced at least four weeks apart and that timely vaccination could prevent further tragedies as the new university term begins.