ACT for Meningitis founder Siobhan Carroll has been invited to serve as a member of the World Health Organisation Strategy Support Group for the global road map to defeat meningitis by 2030.
The global road map will dramatically improve meningitis prevention, diagnosis and treatment, disease monitoring, health advocacy, support and aftercare.
The specific responsibility of the Strategy Support Group is to support WHO and its partners in the implementation of the WHO Defeating Meningitis by 2030 Global Road map globally and regionally.
“The group includes representatives from Ministries of Health from each of the six World Health Organization (WHO ) regions, representatives from six civil society organizations with regional and global level as well as donor representatives at global and regional levels, including bilateral or multilateral government agencies and philanthropic foundations.
”While continuing her work with ACT for Meningitis, the voluntary membership on the new WHO strategy group will convene through teleconference in the new year as the fight continues to #DefeatMeningitis
ACT for Meningitis is a national support and awareness organisation, set up in 2011 by Siobhan and Noel Carroll following the tragic loss of their daughter Aoibhe, aged just 4, to meningitis.
Losing Aoibhe changed their lives forever and they wanted to try and prevent another family going through that heart break. They felt there was an urgent need for more awareness around meningitis and that support be made available to anyone affected by the disease.
Therefore, in July 2011, ACT for Meningitis was formed, with a mission to raise awareness, to promote education and to provide support to those affected by meningitis in Ireland, and with a vision to see an Ireland where lives are no longer lost to meningitis, and through their support services no-one faces the meningitis journey alone.
Since its formation, ACT have provided a vast range of free support services to children, adults, families and communities across Ireland through their unique Meningitis Community Care Programme.
Wherever you are in the country, if you have been affected by meningitis either through bereavement or living with the severe after affects of the disease, they provide free individual and group support services and therapies tailored to your needs, within your own community and without a waiting list.
ACT for Meningitis has conducted many successful National Awareness Campaigns over the past 11 years, including an annual National College Student Awareness Campaign and ACTion Teds Childcare Facility Campaign.
For each individual campaign, the awareness co-ordinator works closely with their medical advisors and design teams to produce correct, precise, informative and original awareness material suitable to that individual campaign.
These awareness materials have been successfully distributed to homes, colleges, pharmacies,GP surgeries, schools and childcare facilities throughout Ireland during campaigns over time.
In addition and with the support of trained professionals, ACT facilitate free meningitis training programmes to childcare workers, pharmacies and medical professionals.
