MENINGITIS laboratories are warning Leigh people to be on the alert for the potentially fatal disease.

There have been cases were the illness has been misdiagnosed by health professionals says Steve Dayman, operations officer at the Spencer Dayman meningitis laboratories, based at the University of Bristol.

And he added the general public often believe the meningitis C vaccine protects against all form of bacterial meningitis.

But no vaccine can protect against the most common form of bacterial meningitis, meningococcal group B.

Mr Dayman said this time of year calls for extra vigilance.

"Every year at this time, the number of cases of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia rise dramatically and sometimes the outcome is devastating.

"Last month alone, we had contact with ten families from different parts of the country here at our fund-raising office in Bristol; all of them had lost loved ones who had been misdiagnosed in the preceding six weeks somewhere within the health care delivery system.

" My growing impression is that some health care professionals are still not distinguishing between the common symptoms of meningitis, and those that may exist with Meningococcal septicaemia."

Mr Dayman said in his opinion families and health professionals should always consider meningitis or meningococcal septicaemia if someone becomes ill especially if the illness develops rapidly.

"The earlier the disease is identified and treated could mean the difference between life and death."