New 2016 calendars from National Windscreens in Bristol will help to combat meningitis & septicaemia which affects 3,400 people in the UK and Ireland every year in the UK.
The latest edition contains a symptom card that identifies the vital danger signs of the disease which can easily be mistaken for milder illnesses, but unlike a dose of flu can kill within hours and may cause serious, life-long disabilities.
As many as one in ten of those affected will die and a third of survivors will be left with after-effects, some as serious as brain damage, amputations, blindness and hearing loss.
A record 18,000 wall and desk calendars are being delivered with the symptom cards to clients throughout the Midlands and South of England.
Martyn Bennett, Regional Marketing Director at National Windscreens said: “Meningitis Research Foundation has been one of our chosen charities for twenty two years and we have helped to raise more than £18,000 so far toward research into this deadly disease.
“We are featuring the symptom card again this year as part of our campaign to raise awareness of the disease and the vital work undertaken by Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF). We hope that the distribution of the symptom card will assist with early diagnosis of the disease and encourage people to seek medical help quickly and in turn help to save lives.”
Tianna Cowan, Corporate Fundraiser for MRF said: “We’re so grateful to National Windscreens for all their support over the years helping to raise much-needed funds for our work to fight meningitis, their support also helps raise awareness of this devastating disease. There are currently 16 projects in MRF’s active research programme in addition to the MRF Meningococcus Genome Library, an ongoing research resource that was started with MRF funds.
"Since the charity was founded in 1989, we have awarded 147 research grants. The total value of our investment in vital scientific research is over £18.6 million. Long term investment in research is crucial if we are going to beat this disease.”
To find out more about the disease and how to support the charity, please visit www.meningitis.org
