Meningitis is the swelling of the lining around the brain and spinal cord (the meninges) and is usually caused by a bacterial, fungal or viral infection. It is life-threatening, with bacterial meningitis leaving 1 in 6 people dead and 1 in 5 survivors with lifelong disabilities such as hearing loss, brain damage, limb loss and epilepsy.
Raising awareness about meningitis is crucial for prevention, early diagnosis and treatment. One innovative way to promote awareness is using the Meningitis Flag, which we co-created and launched in 2023. In this blog post, we'll explore what the Meningitis Flag is, its significance, and how (and why) you should fly the Meningitis Flag during a summer of sport.
Para athletes, Davide Morana, Théo Currin and Ellie Challis, holding the Meningitis Flag
What is the Meningitis Flag?
The Meningitis Flag is a unique symbol created to raise awareness and promote action against meningitis. It was co-created by Meningitis Research Foundation, including the advisory council and regional coordinators from our global member network CoMO (the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations).
Working alongside incredible para-athletes, Davide Morana, Théo Currin and Ellie Challis, and global pharmaceutical company Sanofi, the flag is a visual and highly visible symbol representing our continued fight against meningitis. It offers a universal and unifying symbol which can support our long-standing advocacy and awareness work across countries and continents.
Design and symbolism
The design of the Meningitis Flag is both symbolic and meaningful. It features a distinctive pattern and colours that represent the struggle and hope associated with meningitis. The Meningitis Flag is not just a piece of fabric; it’s a banner of solidarity for those whose lives have been deeply affected by meningitis and a call to action for increased awareness, understanding, vaccination and research.
The significance of the Meningitis Flag
-
Raising awareness
The primary purpose of the Meningitis Flag is to raise awareness of the disease. By displaying the flag, individuals and organisations can elevate knowledge and understanding of the symptoms, risks, and prevention routes associated with meningitis. Awareness is always the first step towards saving lives.
-
Promoting prevention
Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent most types of meningitis. The Meningitis Flag is a reminder of the importance of immunisation and why it is so critical to encourage and enable people to take up the vaccines which will protect against meningitis at all stages of their lives.
-
Supporting affected families
Displaying the meningitis flag shows solidarity with those whose lives have been profoundly affected by meningitis. It can provide a sense of community for families who have experienced the devastating impact of meningitis.
-
Calling for greater research and funding
By keeping meningitis in the public eye, the Meningitis Flag helps us advocate for increased funding and research to defeat meningitis. It highlights the need for greater access to preventative measures, improved diagnosis and treatments, and the need for significantly improved support for survivors and their families.
How you can fly the Meningitis Flag
If you’re inspired to support the defeating meningitis movement by displaying a Meningitis Flag, here are three ways you can do this right now:
-
Use the Meningitis Flag awareness pack
Go to comomeningitis.org/meningitis-flag for our digital awareness pack. It’s filled with easy-to-use resources to help you show you support defeating meningitis. Looking for ideas? Replace your existing social media profile image with the Meningitis Flag (we’ve got Facebook, Instagram, LinkedInand X covered), use it as your virtual meeting background or print the stickers for your next community event. Get creative and then tell us using #MeningitisFlag.
-
Put the Meningitis Flag poster in your window
Print off the poster included in our digital awareness pack and put it in your window. The poster also folds into a leaflet you can give to others. Print extra copies, hand them out and we could have communities of Meningitis Flags in windows across the world.
All the links above are to the English language versions of these resources, but you can also find these in French and Spanish on our CoMO website.
-
In Paris this summer? Be part of the Defeat Meningitis team
Are you planning to be in Paris for this year’s highest profile sporting event? If so, you’ll see the Meningitis Flag fly high in more than 200 locations around the city from mid-August to mid-September. Be part of the Defeat Meningitis team, showing your support by taking a selfie in front of any of the billboards and posting it on social media using #MeningitisFlag.
We believe the Meningitis Flag can be more than just a symbol; we want it to be a powerful tool in our collective fight against meningitis.
By displaying the flag, help us raise awareness, promote prevention, support affected families and call for greater research and funding.
Because together we can defeat meningitis.