Health Protection

Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord (meninges).

It can affect anyone, but is most common in babies, young children, teenagers and young adults.

Meningitis can be very serious if not treated quickly.

Meningitis symptoms, which may not all be present, include:

• severe headache
• dislike of bright light (photophobia)
• neck stiffness
• nausea and vomiting
• confusion and drowsiness
• loss of consciousness
• convulsions/seizures
• red/purple rash which does not fade on pressure, ie when viewed through a glass

What should I do if I think I have meningitis?

• Seek medical advice from the https://www.nhs.uk/
• Call your doctor or NHS 111 for advice if you're not sure if it's anything serious.
• If you think you're seriously ill, call 999 for an ambulance 

Symptoms

The symptoms of Covid-19 vary but may include a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. Check the latest NHS advice. 

Coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

What should I do if I think I have Covid-19?

If you have symptoms, you should follow the latest NHS advice. We strongly recommend that you do not come to campus if you have symptoms of Covid-19: although the legal requirement for self-isolation has ended, the NHS still advise that you stay at home if possible.

Do not go to a GP surgery or hospital. 

For medical advice, please use the NHS 111 service.

Stay home

To protect our community, we ask that you stay at home if you're suffering from symptoms of Covid-19 or other respiratory illness (or any infectious condition). If you need to take time off from studying

The symptoms of flu (influenza) can include:

• fever (38C or 100F or above)
• tiredness or feeling weak
• aches and pains
• a cough or shortness of breath.

What should I do if I think I have flu?

• Seek medical advice from the NHS website.
• Limit contact with others - though tell your friends that you are unwell and ask them to check up on you in case you quickly become more acutely ill.
• If you are in a vulnerable group, contact your doctor.
• If you have been advised by a health practitioner that you have flu, report this to the University using the self-certification of illness procedure.

If you need to take time off from studying

Measles is an infection that spreads very easily and can cause serious problems in some people. Having the MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent it.

Symptoms of measles include:

• fever
• irritability
• cold or catarrh symptoms, including runny nose, sore throat and runny eyes
• dry croupy cough
• white Koplik's spots on the gums (on the second and third day)
• diarrhoea

What should I do if I think I have measles?

• Seek medical advice from the NHS website.
• Contact your doctor - phone before your visit as measles is highly infectious.
• Stay away from other people for five days from the onset of the rash.
• Alert your college or housemates.

Mpox is a rare – and usually mild – viral infection. NHS Inform have released general advice and guidance about the infection.

Symptoms of mpox

MPox is usually a mild illness and most people recover in 2 to 4 weeks.

Symptoms usually start 5 to 21 days after exposure and can include:

• high temperature (fever)
• a headache
• flu-like symptoms, including muscle and back aches, shivering and tiredness
• swollen glands that feel like new lumps (in the neck, armpits or groin)
• a blistering rash that usually starts 1 to 5 days after other symptoms – the rash may start on the face or in the genital area and may spread to other parts of the body

The skin lesions (pox) go through 4 phases:

1. Flat spots
2. Raised spots
3. Blisters
4. Healing by scabbing or crusting over and then the scabs falling off

Mpox rash can sometimes be confused with other diseases that can look similar, such as chickenpox. A diagnosis of monkeypox requires an assessment by a health professional and specific testing.

People who are diagnosed with mpox will need to isolate to stop it being spread to others.

What to do if you think you might have mpox

If you think you might have mpox, you should stay home, avoid close contact with others and seek help with medical services via phone until you're assessed.

Phone your GP if:

• you think that you may have mpox
• you have been in close contact with someone who might have mpox

If your GP is closed, phone 111. In an emergency phone 999

Mumps is a contagious viral infection that used to be common in children before the introduction of the MMR vaccine.

Symptoms of mumps include:

• fever
• headache
• swelling and tenderness of glands in one or both sides of the neck 
• running nose and eyes, sore throat and ears

What should I do if I think I have mumps?

• Seek medical advice from the NHS Website
• Contact your doctor - phone before your visit as mumps is highly infectious.
• Stay away from other people for at least five days after your symptoms first develop.
• Alert your college or housemates.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection that usually affects the lungs. It can be treated with antibiotics but can be serious if not treated. There's a vaccine that helps protect some people who are at risk from TB.

Symptoms of tuberculosis include:

• fever and night sweats, coughing and weight loss for more than three weeks
• coughing up blood in phlegm
• enlarged lymph glands, commonly in the neck area

What should I do if I think I have tuberculosis?

• Seek medical advice from the NHS website.
• Call your doctor or NHS 111.
• Limit contact with others.

Treatment for tuberculosis (TB)

The main treatment for tuberculosis (TB) is to take antibiotics for at least 6 months.

If TB has spread to your brain, spinal cord or the area around your heart, you may also need to take steroid medicine for a few weeks.

If you have TB but do not have symptoms (latent TB) you usually need to take antibiotics for 3 to 6 months.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection that affects the nose and throat, and sometimes the skin. It's rare in the UK, but there's a small risk of catching it if you travel to some parts of the world.

Diphtheria can be a serious illness and sometimes fatal, especially in children, if it’s not treated quickly. Vaccination can prevent it.

How diphtheria is spread

Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial infection. It's spread by coughs and sneezes, or through close contact with someone who is infected.

You can also get it by sharing items, such as cups, cutlery, clothing or bedding, with an infected person.

Symptoms of diphtheria

Symptoms usually start 2 to 5 days after becoming infected.

Symptoms of diphtheria include:

• a thick grey-white coating that may cover the back of your throat, nose and tongue
• a high temperature (fever)
• sore throat
• swollen glands in your neck
• difficulty breathing and swallowing

In countries with poor hygiene, infection of the skin (cutaneous diphtheria) is more common.

If it's cutaneous diphtheria, it can cause:

• pus-filled blisters on your legs, feet and hands
• large ulcers surrounded by red, sore-looking skin

What should I do if I think I have diphtheria?

• Seek medical advice from the NHS Website
• Call your doctor or NHS 111.
• Limit contact with others.

Rubella (German measles) is a rare illness that causes a spotty rash. It usually gets better in about a week, but it can be serious if you get it when you're pregnant.

Symptoms of Rubella:

• aching fingers, wrists or knees
• a high temperature
• coughs
• sneezing and a runny nose
• headaches
• a sore throat
• sore, red eyes

How to avoid spreading rubella

Rubella spreads in coughs and sneezes.

It’s infectious from 1 week before the symptoms start and for 5 days after the rash first appears.

It can be serious for some people, so you should try to avoid spreading it to others.

What should I do if I think I have Rubella?

• Seek medical advice from the NHS Website
• Call your doctor or NHS 111.

Limit contact with others

Whooping cough (pertussis) is an infection of the lungs and breathing tubes. It spreads very easily and can be serious. It's important for babies, children and anyone who's pregnant to get vaccinated against it.

Symptoms of whooping cough

The first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat (a high temperature is uncommon).

After about a week, you:

• will get coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night
• may make a "whoop" sound – a gasp for breath between coughs (young babies and some adults may not "whoop")
• may have difficulty breathing after a coughing bout and may turn blue or grey (young infants)
• may bring up a thick mucus, which can make you vomit
• may become very red in the face (more common in adults)

• The cough may last for several weeks or months.

Treatment for whooping cough

Treatment for whooping cough depends on your age and how long you've had the infection.

Hospital treatment is usually needed if you have severe whooping cough, or your baby is under 6 months old and has whooping cough.

If whooping cough is diagnosed within 2 weeks of your cough starting, you'll be given antibiotics to help stop it spreading to others.

Some healthcare and nursery workers may be given antibiotics within 3 weeks of the cough starting.

Antibiotics may not reduce symptoms.

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

• your baby is under 6 months old and has symptoms of whooping cough
• you or your child have a very bad cough that is getting worse
• you've been in contact with someone with whooping cough and you're pregnant

Check symptoms on 111 online (for children aged 5 and over) or call 111 (for children under 5).

Hepatitis is the term used to describe inflammation of the liver. It's usually the result of a viral infection or liver damage caused by drinking alcohol.

There are several different types of hepatitis. Some types will pass without any serious problems, while others can be long-lasting (chronic) and cause scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), loss of liver function and, in some cases, liver cancer.

Symptoms of hepatitis

Short-term (acute) hepatitis often has no noticeable symptoms, so you may not realise you have it.

If symptoms do develop, they can include:

• muscle and joint pain
• a high temperature
• feeling and being sick
• feeling unusually tired all the time
• a general sense of feeling unwell
• loss of appetite
• tummy pain
• dark urine
• pale, grey-coloured poo
• itchy skin
• yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice)

See your GP if you have any persistent or troublesome symptoms that you think could be caused by hepatitis.

Long-term (chronic) hepatitis also may not have any obvious symptoms until the liver stops working properly (liver failure) and may only be picked up during blood tests.

In the later stages it can cause jaundice, swelling in the legs, ankles and feet, confusion, and blood in your stools or vomit.

Hepatitis A is caused by the hepatitis A virus. It's usually caught by consuming food and drink contaminated with the poo of an infected person, and is most common in countries where sanitation is poor.

Hepatitis A usually passes within a few months, although it can occasionally be severe and even life threatening.

There's no specific treatment for it, other than to relieve symptoms like pain, nausea and itching.

Vaccination against hepatitis A is recommended if:

• you're at high risk of infection or severe consequences of infection
• you're travelling to an area where the virus is common, such as the Indian subcontinent, Africa, Central and South America, the Far East and eastern Europe.

Find out more about hepatitis A

Hepatitis B is caused by the hepatitis B virus, which is spread in the blood of an infected person.

It's a common infection worldwide and is usually spread from infected pregnant women to their babies, or from child-to-child contact.

It can also be spread through unprotected sex and injecting drugs.

Hepatitis B is uncommon in the UK. It most commonly affects people who became infected while growing up in part of the world where the infection is more common, such as southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Most adults infected with hepatitis B are able to fight off the virus and fully recover from the infection within a couple of months.

But most people infected as children develop a long-term infection. This is known as chronic hepatitis B, and can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Antiviral medicine can be used to treat it.

In the UK, vaccination against hepatitis B is recommended for people in high-risk groups, such as:

• healthcare workers
• people who inject drugs
• men who have sex with men
• children born to mothers with hepatitis B
• people travelling to parts of the world where the infection is more common

Hepatitis B vaccination is also part of the routine immunisation programme so all children can benefit from protection from this virus.

Find out more about hepatitis B

Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus.

It's usually spread through blood-to-blood contact with an infected person.

In the UK, it's most commonly spread through sharing needles used to inject drugs.

Poor healthcare practices and unsafe medical injections are the main way it's spread outside the UK.

Hepatitis C often causes no noticeable symptoms, or only flu-like symptoms, so many people are unaware they're infected.

Some people will fight off the infection and be free of the virus. In other cases, it'll stay in the body for many years.

This is known as chronic hepatitis C and can cause cirrhosis and liver failure.

Chronic hepatitis C can be treated with very effective antiviral medicines, but there's currently no vaccine available.

Find out more about hepatitis C

Hepatitis D is caused by the hepatitis D virus. It only affects people who are already infected with hepatitis B, as it needs the hepatitis B virus to be able to survive in the body.

Hepatitis D is usually spread through blood-to-blood contact or sexual contact. It's uncommon in the UK, but is more widespread in other parts of Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America.

Long-term infection with hepatitis D and hepatitis B can increase your risk of developing serious problems, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.

There's no vaccine specifically for hepatitis D, but the hepatitis B vaccine can help protect you from it.

Hepatitis E is caused by the hepatitis E virus. The number of cases in Europe has increased in recent years and it's now the most common cause of short-term (acute) hepatitis in the UK.

The virus has been mainly associated with the consumption of raw or undercooked pork meat or offal, but also with wild boar meat, venison and shellfish. 

Hepatitis E is generally a mild and short-term infection that does not require any treatment, but it can be serious in some people, such as those who have a weakened immune system.

There's no vaccine for hepatitis E. When travelling to parts of the world with poor sanitation, where epidemic hepatitis E may be common, you can reduce your risk by practising good food and water hygiene measures.

Diseases notifiable (“serious communicable diseases”) to local authority proper officers under the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010:

Acute encephalitis 2. Acute infectious hepatitis 3. Acute meningitis 4. Acute poliomyelitis 5. Anthrax 6. Botulism 7. Brucellosis 8. Cholera 9. COVID-19 10. Diphtheria 11. Enteric fever (typhoid or paratyphoid fever) 12. Food poisoning 13. Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) 14. Infectious bloody diarrhoea 15. Invasive group A streptococcal disease  16. Legionnaires’ disease 17. Leprosy 18. Malaria 19. Measles 20. Meningococcal septicaemia 21. Monkeypox 22. Mumps 23. Plague 24. Rabies 25. Rubella 26. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) 27. Scarlet Fever 28. Smallpox 29. Tetanus 30. Tuberculosis 31. Typhus 32. Viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) 33. Whooping cough 34. Yellow fever