An 18-year-old dies suddenly at a festival: what seemed like a harmless hangover turned out to be a deadly infection. His mother is now fighting for more information.
Suffolk – A decade ago, Ollie Towler-Jones, then 18, died suddenly at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk near London. The young man suspected that his headaches, nausea and dizziness were due to a hangover. But they were the symptoms of life-threatening meningitis. On the tenth anniversary of her son’s death, his mother is now calling on young people to get vaccinated against the dangerous meningitis pathogens.
Meningitis instead of hangover: Festival visit ends tragically
The Latitude Festival, where international and British bands perform every year, was one of the highlights of 2014 for 18-year-old Ollie. He had already attended the event in previous years. He and his friends had celebrated and drunk at his festival visit ten years ago, as his mother told the BBC reported. He initially attributed his discomfort to “a really bad hangover.” After vomiting and suffering from a severe headache, he decided to rest in his tent. A few hours later, he could no longer move his legs and his skin had turned a purple color.
Rescue workers took the 18-year-old to the hospital by helicopter. By the time he arrived there, “all of his organs had failed and tubes were coming out of all sorts of places,” his mother told the BBC The doctors put him in an artificial coma, but his heart stopped beating shortly afterwards. The 18-year-old died just a few hours after arriving at the hospital. “He was a completely normal teenager who was just starting out in life and wanted to have some fun. He loved Latitude,” said his mother.
Meningitis pathogens revealed: From meningococci to listeria
Pathogens such as meningococci, pneumococci or listeria can cause meningitis. Viral infections can also be responsible. If the cause is bacterial, meningitis can have serious or even fatal consequences, as the state health portal Gesund.Bund reports.
Meningitis symptoms may include:
- Nausea, vomiting
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Fever
- Disturbances of consciousness
- Dizziness or confusion
- Photosensitivity
- Diarrhea
- Skin rashes with bleeding (in meningococci) or blisters (in pneumococci)
Source: Gesund.Bund
Many of the meningitis pathogens are transmitted through droplet infections, for example through coughing, sneezing or talking. But there are ways to minimize the risk of illness, for example with the help of vaccinations. The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends protection against pneumococci, Haemophilus influenzae and meningococci in Germany as part of childhood vaccinations. 18-year-old Ollie also received these vaccinations as an infant, but did not receive a booster as a teenager.
On the tenth anniversary of the death of her only child, his mother is now campaigning for young people to get vaccinated. “I just don’t want anyone else to ever have to go through what Ollie went through,” she explains to the BBCAfter the autopsy, the doctors determined that Ollie’s cause of death was a type MenW meningitis infection combined with blood poisoning. In Great Britain, the corresponding Vaccine MenACWY routinely offered free of charge in schools for teenagers aged 13 to 14 (bme).
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