A MENINGITIS survivor from Verwood has delivered a stark warning about the long term effects of the disease.

Siovon Rowden, 46, fell ill in 2011 just three weeks after undergoing brain surgery.

Still suffering four years later, Siovon is supporting an awareness drive by charity Meningitis Now to help warn people of the dangers.

Siovon said her memories of the times are still very blurred.

“I just remember feeling very unwell and not making a lot of sense when I spoke,” she said.

“I was diagnosed with viral meningitis and remained in hospital for three days before I was discharged and told to rest.

“In the days that followed I was re-admitted to hospital when my health deteriorated. I was kept in isolation for four days before being moved to a general ward and discharged again the next day.”

Siovon described the impact the condition has had on her life as ‘huge’ and claims she has been left frustrated with the lack of support received from health services.

“I still suffer from severe double vision, chronic fatigue and coordination problems,” she added.

“I also struggle with spelling, sentence structure and a lot of other things that I never used to.

“I think perhaps the biggest effect this illness has had is on my memory and therefore me as a person. I used to be the diary for everyone and held a responsible job that I loved. Now I have alarms for everything I do, need almost constant help with some things and my chosen career is history.

“I have lost who I was, as have my family. I'm not the same person my husband married almost 30 years ago, and my adult children care for me in ways that I didn't think would happen for another 30 years.”

Up to 6,000 people each year across the UK suffer from viral meningitis, an infection that causes inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and the spinal cord. The majority of cases happen during the warmer months.

A Meningitis Now survey found that 97 per cent of sufferers faced debilitating after-effects including exhaustion, headaches, memory loss, depression, anxiety and hearing difficulties. Many have to take long periods off education or work, and struggle with day-to-day tasks that most people take for granted.

And because the symptoms of viral meningitis can be similar to the more dangerous bacterial form of the disease, Meningitis Now is urging sufferers to seek urgent medical help if concerned.

For more information, visit www.meningitisnow.org or freephone 0808 80 10 388.