Uni launches special Meningitis web site

A special web site will be launched during the University of Teesside's Meningitis Awareness Week - on Tuesday October 17 at 10am - in the Students' Union (first floor reception area), Southfield Road, Middlesbrough.

The web site - http://meningitis.tees.ac.uk - is based on a design by Computing graduate, Scott Layton. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Derek Fraser, and President of the Students' Union, George Selmer, will both launch the web site at a ceremony also attended by Scott and health and welfare staff and Students' Union reps.

Meningitis Awareness Week starts with a fund-raising walk by staff and students, setting off from Staithes car park, on Sunday (October 15) morning. On Monday, health promotions staff will be in the University advising students on the best ways to avoid illness - keeping fit, eating healthy food, not smoking and getting adequate sleep. The Students' Union is also organising fund-raising 'lecture-raids' and poster campaigns, with Meningitis Awareness labels stuck on bottles sold in the Union bar.

On Tuesday, there will be a photo-call for the media to launch the meningitis web site at 10am in the Students' Union. Jean Hall, the University's Student Health Advisor, said: "We wanted to have an accessible means of communicating with staff and students in the event of an outbreak of meningitis on campus and Scott's design was the most user-friendly. It incorporates an illustrated guide to the symptoms and provides advice on what to do if you suspect you may have the disease."

Scott graduated with a 2:1 Computing degree and said he liked the course because it focused on the latest technologies in the business world. His final year combined theory based study with mastering HTML (the language used to write web pages).

He now works for a local software development and consultancy company, Excel-Sys, as an analyst/programmer and said: "In designing the Meningitis website my priority was to make it look appealing to students, especially Freshers. The design needed to be simple, yet informative, and easy on the eye so that people would read it. Important considerations were navigation and the structure of the site because finding information as easily as possible was the main goal. What pleased me most was that I was able to incorporate all these objectives and still make the site look interesting."

Kay Gibson, SU Welfare Officer, said: "By raising awareness of Meningitis amongst the students it will help to alert everyone to the signs and symptoms of the disease."

*Over the Summer, Professor Derek Fraser, the Vice-Chancellor, wrote to first year full-time students urging them to seek immunisation from their own GP before starting University. Two immunisation sessions were also held on campus in October.

For more information contact Jean Hall on Middlesbrough 218121, ext 3202.

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