Overview

• Ketia Moponda, 19, fell ill eight days after starting at De Montfort University and rapidly progressed to meningococcal septicaemia with bacterial meningitis.
• Doctors later amputated both lower legs and removed damaged fingers following sepsis, after intensive care at Leicester Royal Infirmary and treatment in Birmingham.
• She left hospital in February, received prosthetic lower legs in May, is walking outdoors unaided, and is awaiting a decision on prosthetic fingers.
• Ahead of Freshers’ Week she is using social media to urge students to learn symptoms, register with a GP, and consider vaccination.
• Meningitis charities say students face higher risk in September, stress that MenACWY does not protect against MenB, and call for at‑risk vaccination, a student MenB booster on the NHS, and easier, fairly priced access to MenB shots.