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GHA bolsters vaccinations for students after UK health warnings

A tenfold increase in the number of meningitis cases in the UK has prompted the Gibraltar Health Authority to offer additional vaccination opportunities for youngsters, in a bid to ensure all first-time university students are immunised.

Britainā€™s health officials this week warned of a strain of meningitis called Meningitis W and urged school leavers to ensure they are vaccinated as the illness mainly affects young people. A similar warning was issued about measles earlier this this month.

In a statement yesterday, the GHA said it already had a ā€œrobustā€ vaccination programme in place and believed the majority of young people in Gibraltar ā€“ ā€œif not allā€ - had already been immunised against both Meningitis W and measles.

But against the backdrop of the warnings from Public Health England, the GHA has nonetheless rolled out additional opportunities to be immunised in case anyone has missed out.

ā€œMeningitis W is a particularly aggressive form of meningitis that is more prone to affect young people, such as first-time university entrants,ā€ a GHA statement said.

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