Copyright independent
When Emily Charlotte Styles phoned home to say she had a migraine, her mother wasn’t worried and thought nothing of it. The 19-year-old, who was staying at her boyfriend’s house nearby, often suffered from headaches but could usually fix them with an early night and some painkillers. But, hours later, the teenager was being airlifted to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, having collapsed when she tried to get out of bed. Her worried parents, Peter and Julia, rushed to be at her side as medics frantically tried to treat her meningitis B infection - a sometimes fatal bacterial infection of the meninges, that surround the brain and spinal cord. Emily, who had secured a place at Winchester University dreamt of becoming a special needs teacher, but she never regained consciousness and died just over 12 hours later early on New Years Day 2014, three months before her 20th birthday. “I know if Emily was still here she would be helping people,” Emily’s mother Julia Styles told the Independent. “Emily had her whole life ahead of her and she's missed out on her life and more importantly, people have missed out on Emily being in their lives.” Emily, a teaching assistant from Buckingham, had been “fit and well” over Christmas and only had flu-like symptoms and none of the other classic signs of meningitis, such as, vomiting, mottled skin, a stiff neck, sensitivity to light, and a rash. “Emily had no rash, not at all, not a mark on her body. Emily had what she thought was a migraine or a flu-like bug, and it took her life in hours,” Ms Styles said. “Anyone who is a teacher has a cold at the end of term. So it wasn’t particularly unusual, it wasn't necessarily worrying. We spoke to Emily and she told us she had a bit of a migraine and that she would sleep it off.” “She went to bed early and when she tried to get up in the morning she collapsed,” She added. Tragically Emily’s condition worsened as she slept and the first that her parents knew about her life-threatening infection was when they received a phone call to say an ambulance had been called. “It was very clear it was serious it was like the worst scene from a film,” Ms Styles said recalling the paramedics arriving. By late morning on December 31st Emily arrived at hospital, but her condition grew worse and as the new year rolled in Emily’s close friends and family came to say their goodbyes. Hours later, Emily’s family had to make the heartbreaking decision to turn off the machines keeping her alive. “It got worse every time we spoke to the consultant. As midnight came, when everyone else was celebrating 2014, we were told she wasn't gonna make it,” Ms Styles recalled. It's estimated up to one in every 10 cases of bacterial meningitis is fatal, according to the NHS. Vaccines are available for several strains of meningitis, but a recent decline in teenage vaccination rates is leaving youngsters vulnerable to the disease, UKHSA warned. “It makes no sense to me that people wouldn’t take a vaccine that could literally save her [Emily’s] life,” Ms Styles, who now lives in the Malvern Hills, said, urging others to get their children vaccinated. “They should take these vaccines, especially as they're available now, absolutely - we didn't have a choice with Emily,” she added. Unlike young people today, Emily did not have access to a jab that protects against MenB and another vaccine that protects against four strains of meningitis A, C, Y and W. The MenACWY vaccine - which is now offered to school pupils in Year 9 or year 10 - was introduced in the UK in summer 2015 because of an increase in cases of MenW disease. Similarly, the jab for meningitis B was introduced in September 2015 on the NHS for babies and those with specific underlying medical conditions - it is also available privately. There were 378 cases of the serious bacterial infection invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in 2024-25, the latest UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show. This is up from 340 in the previous 12 months. More than 82 per cent of cases last year – some 313 – were caused by MenB, up from 301 in 2023-24. The charity Meningitis Now is urging people to familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of meningitis and to make sure their loved ones are vaccinated. Meningitis can be fatal and up to half of those who do survive bacterial meningitis will be left with long-term after-effects, including hearing loss, acquired brain injury, epilepsy, chronic pain, vision problems and amputations. Dr Tom Nutt, Chief Executive of Meningitis Now said: "Meningitis can affect anyone at any time, but these increases among teenagers, young adults, and babies – some of the most vulnerable groups – show just how vital it is to stay vigilant. Early recognition saves lives, but prevention through vaccines remains the most effective way to protect against this devastating disease." When Emily, who would now be aged 31, died Ms Styles said she felt like she was in “some kind of tsunami or a vacuum.” But eventually she realised there was something she could do to help and started to work with Meningitis Now to get more meningitis vaccinations introduced. The whole family, including Emily’s father Pete and younger sister Sophie, has helped to raise awareness over the past 11 years, raising £40,000 for the charity. “I know she would have made a difference in people’s lives. She was a brilliant, caring and lovely person,” Ms Styles said.
