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An 18-year-old university student, known for her athleticism and vibrant personality, tragically lost her life just weeks after beginning her studies due to meningitis. Meg Draper, who was pursuing a physiotherapy degree at Bournemouth University, had quickly become well-liked, participating enthusiastically in swimming and netball teams. Despite being vaccinated against several meningitis strains, she contracted meningococcal type B meningitis (MenB) and passed away in October.
Meg’s parents, from Pontypool in Torfaen, have since partnered with the National Union of Students UK to campaign for the MenB vaccine—or a booster dose—to be accessible to young adults through the NHS. Currently, the MenB vaccine is offered on the NHS only to infants and young children, as they are deemed the most vulnerable group. While this vaccine provides protection for a few years, no routine booster exists for older children or teenagers, meaning that any immunisation after early childhood requires a private payment of approximately £220.
Although MenB is considered “rare” in children over four years old, experts have identified a second peak of vulnerability in teenagers, which has fueled calls for expanding routine vaccination. The Welsh government, reliant on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), has so far maintained that vaccinating young adults is not cost-effective based on their 2014 assessment. Meg had received vaccines against meningitis strains A, C, W, and Y at 14 years old during lockdown but was not immunised against MenB, something her parents only learned about after her death. They described the discovery of this separate vaccine as “horrific,” especially given the devastating consequences their daughter faced.
Meg’s mother, Helen Draper, expressed how much they would have willingly paid for the MenB vaccination if they had known it was necessary and accessible privately. “We’ve spoken to hundreds of people who have reached out, and we’re yet to find a single person that was aware,” she said. The family’s heartbreak is compounded by the fact that Meg’s symptoms developed swiftly—from feeling lethargic to severe illness within a day—eventually leading to her death despite hospital care. University students are particularly vulnerable to meningitis because of close living conditions and social interactions, which facilitate the spread of bacteria responsible for the illness.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges—the tissues covering the brain and spinal cord—usually caused by bacterial infections, including various meningococcal strains (A, B, C, W, X, and Y). While MenB accounts for the majority (82.6%) of cases in the UK among the most common strains, babies, young children, and teenagers are especially at risk. The MenB vaccine is routinely given to infants at specific intervals under NHS protocols, but if missed, it can be administered up to two years of age. Symptoms of meningitis include severe headaches, fever, vomiting, and rash, and despite effective antibiotic treatments, many survivors suffer long-term effects such as amputations, deafness, or learning difficulties.
Meg’s family hopes to transform their grief into a meaningful legacy by raising awareness about the MenB vaccine and advocating for its availability for young adults within NHS vaccination programs. Helen Draper shared, “We can’t bring Meg back but what we can make sure is that her death isn’t in vain.” They underscore the urgency of closing knowledge gaps, as
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