Meningitis sufferer is so pleased to be alive after nightclub an infection left her unable to see or discuss – as variety of instances rises once more
A University of Kent student who caught meningitis has said she is happy to be alive after the infection left her unable to see or talk.
Annabelle Mackay, 21, believes she may have contracted meningitis while on a night out at Club Chemistry in Canterbury – widely considered to be ground zero for the outbreak.
The number of cases have risen again today to 34, up from 29 on Friday in what is the worst outbreak of the deadly disease in a generation which has left two people dead.
Meanwhile thousands of Kent students queued for hours yesterday for vaccination jabs as the government rushes to stop the spread of the infection.
When Ms Mackay first fell ill she initially thought she was suffering from covid but then her symptoms got worse and she started to feel delirious.
She said: ‘I wasn’t making any sense and I was also really sensitive to light. That’s when I thought something was really wrong.’
Confusion and an aversion to bright lights are among the symptoms of meningitis.
Other symptoms of meningitis and sepsis can include a high temperature, cold hands and feet, vomiting, muscle and joint pain, pale, mottled or blotchy skin, spots or a rash, a headache, a stiff neck, being very sleepy and seizures.
Annabelle Mackay (pictured), 21, believes she may have contracted meningitis while on a night out at Club Chemistry in Canterbury – widely considered to be ground zero for the outbreak
Harrowing doorbell footage shows a visibly ill Ms Mackay being guided out of her home by a woman wearing noise cancelling headphones and an eye mask
Ms Mackay was in such a state of confusion that she was unable to communicate properly with her friends and family which prompted them to call an ambulance.
It was at this time that the student lost her speech and eyesight. Harrowing doorbell footage, shared with the BBC, shows a visibly ill Ms Mackay being guided out of her home by a woman wearing noise cancelling headphones and an eye mask.
She continued: ‘I was still in quite a state of delirium, and at that time I lost my sight as well, which was really scary, especially for my friends and family.
‘I wasn’t paying as much attention to it because I was just in so much pain in my body that I didn’t have time to process that I couldn’t see, but it was definitely really scary for my family and my friends.’
Ms Mackay has since been discharged from hospital and has regained her sight.
She added: ‘I feel so grateful to be alive and be here. I’m still dealing with the after-effects now, but I think I just need to focus on my recovery and getting better and back to myself.’
GPs across the country have been told to prescribe antibiotics to anyone who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury from March 5 and 7, as well as students from the University of Kent.
Health officials have said that it remains unclear if infections have peaked yet while Kent County Council’s director of public health Anjan Ghosh warned that ‘sporadic’ household clusters could appear in other parts of the UK.
At the epicentre of the outbreak over a 100 concerned students queued for hours yesterday to receive a vaccine but many had to be turned away after the centres ran out of jabs.
Many who could not receive a jab yesterday have returned today and 10,000 students have been given precautionary antibiotics.
