UNIVERSITY students are being urged to be aware of the dangers of meningitis.

Both faculty staff and the Students' Union are concerned that young people starting their courses at the University of Teesside may incorrectly consider they are protected against the dangers of the killer disease.

But the Middlesbrough campus says even if freshers were part of the massive vaccination programme introduced in recent years, they are only protected against the C strain of meningitis.

The meningitis B strain accounts for the majority of meningococcal disease in the UK, for which there is no vaccine.

The university has organised a meningitis awareness week from Monday, September 30 to October 4.

Student Health Advisor Aline Marron said students are at risk.

"They are coming into the university for the first time and are meeting a lot of people. They are being exposed to lots of strains of bacteria they have not been to exposed to before and living in halls of residence and mixing together," she said.

"A lot of our students come from abroad. Research shows a higher incidence among students, one in four may carry the bacteria compared to one in ten outside. And the vulnerable age group is 15 to 24-year-olds."

Catherine Pollock, the Students' Union education and welfare officer, said: "We think it is very important for everyone to be aware that meningitis is still a very dangerous disease, even if they have been given the C strain vaccine."