Editor's comment: Feeling fresh?

The first weeks at university are often spent getting to know your new housemates, as many people in halls, the student union, and (of course) on your course, as possible.

But with the freedom of university life comes the dreaded threat of freshers flu, as well a whole host of other potential illnesses.

Freshers flu, though almost a rite of passage while at university, does gives those on the receiving end symptoms such as sore throat, headaches, fever, tiredness and any number of different coughs and colds.

“Taking a few minutes out of your day to get this booster may save you many days, even weeks, worth of illness

Having had freshers flu myself, however, I can attest to the fact that it does nothing to stop you soldiering on.

Unfortunately, illnesses at university are a very real issue, and should not be ignored.

Fortunately, this has been recognised by health organisations such as Public Health England (PHE) who yesterday announced it was urging all freshers to get meningitis C (MenC) boosters before heading off to university.

Meningitis symptoms can include a blotchy red rash, fever, vomiting and stiffness, which can lead to blood poisoning and in some cases can be fatal.

“Meningococcal C disease is a rare but life-threatening infection that occurs mainly in children and young adults. Students starting university and mixing with lots of new people, some of whom may unknowingly carry the meningococcal bacteria, are at risk of infection,” said expert on meningococcal disease for PHE Shamez Ladhani.

Although PHE is urging students to get the MenC booster before going to university, a spokesperson for the organisation said students should get the booster regardless - whether it is before university, or through the university health service or local GP.

We are fortunate, especially in the UK, that vaccines for illnesses such as meningitis are readily available, and are often free of charge.

In this week alone two new vaccinations have been developed and have exhibited promising results in human clinical trials.

The two new vaccines, MenACWY-CRM and 4CMenB, discovered by the University of Southampton (UOS) and manufactured by drugs firm Novartis, actively prevent the transmission of meningitis bacteria from one person to another.

“Research at the University of Southampton has shown that vaccines modify the way the bacteria are carried, so even when the antibodies are no longer present in the blood, the carriage in the throat is still prevented, and so is onward transmission of the infection to others,”said Robert Read, professor of Infectious Diseases at the UOS.

“This could provide a degree of herd protection against meningitis if implemented in a campaign in which high transmission occurs, for example in teenagers and young adults,” said Read.

This degree of protection has been recognised by both Read and PHE, who have actively implemented such a campaign in order to help protect and improve the nation’s health.

“People attending university in the autumn should see their GP about getting a booster to ensure they, their classmates and their housemates are protected from this devastating disease,” Read added.

Had getting this booster been on my list of things to do in the weeks leading up to university, would I have done it? Sadly, the honest answer is ’probably not’.

However, taking a few minutes out of your day to get this booster may save you many days, even weeks, worth of illness which can otherwise be spent truly enjoying university.