‘Our son died from meningitis – we tried to warn universities of the dangers’
A dad who lost his 18-year-old son to meningitis after thinking he had fresher’s flu says he tried to warn universities about the disease.
Anthony Mills, 50, said his ‘mind was blown’ after learning that a University of Kent student had died amid an outbreak in Canterbury.
This week, another pupil has also been confirmed to have died in the town, with 11 others seriously ill and receiving treatment.
Anthony’s son, Aaron – a sport and science student at Liverpool John Moores University – died of the rare meningitis B strain on January 3.
The father said he contacted the University of Kent two weeks ago, warning them of cases of meningitis deaths, but claims he was ignored.
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He said: ‘Somebody messaged my wife to say there had been two deaths in Canterbury – and I just thought ‘well, I emailed them (Kent University) a couple of weeks ago.”
Anthony said he knows ‘exactly’ how the affected families feel, saying that meningitis ‘turns your world upside down’.
He added: ‘Aaron had spent a couple of months at university. You could see he was turning into a beautiful man with all his dreams ahead of him, and that was just ripped away from us.’
Aaron was home from university with cold symptoms and headaches, thought to be a classic case of fresher’s flu, when he was rushed to the hospital.
He was watching a film with Anthony, mum Deniz, 46, and 16-year-old sister Casey the night before suffering a seizure on the morning of December 30, 2025.
Aaron woke up with a headache, took paracetamol and went back to bed before his dad found him unresponsive half an hour later.
He was rushed to Worcester Royal Hospital and later University Hospital Coventry, where neurosurgeons tried to remove fluid from his brain but couldn’t stop him from succumbing to the illness.
The family later learned Aaron had picked up the deadly Meningitis B strain in his first term at uni.
Anthony, who had never heard of the variant until Aaron’s diagnosis, believes his son could still be alive had they been aware of its dangers.
‘If we’d had some simple information when we sent Aaron’s UCAS application, he’d still be here,’ he added.
Meningitis B is not covered by the MenACWY vaccine offered to teenagers by the NHS.
The Bexsero jab – which immunises against the rare strain – has been provided by the health service to babies and those with certain health conditions since 2015.
But most people have to fork out between £180 and £280 for the recommended two doses – and many are unaware of the distinction between the jabs.
Young people are particularly susceptible to meningitis, and students living in close quarters with people are thought to face an even greater risk.
Anthony, who has also contacted all 650 MPs to boost awareness, added: ‘Ideally, I’d like a government rollout for the Bexsero vaccine for adolescents.
‘They need to make it more accessible, it’s quite expensive at the moment. It’s frustrating.’
In his message to all the UK’s universities and student unions, Anthony asked for information provided by the Meningitis Now charity to be shared with students.
He continued: ‘You still wake up, and you can’t believe that you haven’t got a son anymore. It’s crushing at times. You can’t breathe.
‘If someone positive comes out of it, I’ll be a little more at peace.’
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