I was deeply saddened to read your article on May 12 about 25-year-old mum Shazia Ahmed, who tragically died from meningitis in February.

It is really positive that her friends are raising awareness to help save lives in the future.

I lost my son Spencer to meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia some time ago and can well imagine the pain that all those who knew her are suffering.

On behalf of the national charity Meningitis UK, which represents thousands of families who have experienced the devastation caused by meningitis, I would like to pass on our heartfelt sympathies to Shazia’s family and friends.

Sadly, the disease can kill in less than four hours and can often be incredibly difficult to detect as the symptoms are hard to distinguish from flu or a hangover. Plus there are occasions when people show no or very few symptoms.

For all these reasons, we believe prevention is the only way to truly eradicate the disease and developing a preventative vaccine to protect against all forms of meningitis and its associated diseases is our sole focus at Meningitis UK.

Our Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign aims to raise £7m to fund lifesaving research into eradicating Meningitis B, the most common form of meningitis in the UK, for which there is no vaccine.

We receive no government funding and are reliant on the public to help us in our fight against the disease and to raise money to put a stop to the heartache and suffering it causes.

Great advances have been made in the last 20 years, and scientists believe that a vaccine can be found within the next few years if we can raise the money to support the breakthroughs being made.

In the absence of a vaccine to protect against all strains, we also distribute a wide range of material to raise awareness of the common symptoms and need to act quickly, which can mean the difference between life and death.

If any of your readers would like a symptoms information pack, or to find out more about supporting our campaign, they can call Meningitis UK on 0117 373 7373 or visit www.meningitisuk.org Steve Dayman Chief Executive Meningitis UK