Chiefs' brain bug alert.

HEALTH chiefs fear that young adults could be at increased risk of being struck down by a killer brain bug.

Experts from the Meningitis Trust fear that when thousands of people in their late teens and early 20s head off to university for the first time in a few weeks they could be at increased risk of being hit by meningitis.

The warning that young adults should be on their guard against the killer disease is issued by health bodies each year. But what makes medics more concerned this year than ever is that many of the symptoms of meningitis can be mistaken for swine flu, leading to fears that people could misdiagnose themselves and miss out on treatment.

The warning has been backed by north universities which say they are preparing to keep new recruits fully informed and educated about the similar tell-tale signs of the different conditions. People between 15 and 23 are in the second most at-risk group with one in four students carrying the organism which causes meningitis.

Anne Musk, student wellbeing manager at Newcastle University, said: "We will be looking at this new advice to do all we can to make sure students recognise the similarities and differences in symptoms of the two diseases."

People suffering from meningitis or swine flu can exhibit symptoms including: fever, headache, stiff neck, dislike of bright light, drowsiness, joint pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.

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