When 19-year-old Ketia Moponda arrived at university in September 2024, she thought she was facing nothing more than a case of freshers’ flu. Within hours, her life was hanging in the balance.
“There was blood and vomit everywhere. My body was failing,” Moponda recalled in a BBC interview. She later learned she had contracted meningococcal septicaemia — a severe bloodstream infection that can progress with alarming speed.
Moponda remembers little from the critical 27 hours before she was rushed to hospital. A fellow student discovered her collapsed in her university room, where she had been struggling with what she assumed was a bad headache. Doctors placed her in a coma, telling her family there was little hope of survival.
Against the odds, she pulled through. But the infection left lasting scars. Moponda underwent finger and leg amputations after the disease ravaged her body.
“The skin on my leg started peeling off, from my knees all the way down to my ankles,” she said, describing the severity of the illness.
Her story highlights the importance of early detection and access to healthcare, especially for students moving away from home for the first time. She urged young people heading to university to register with a local GP as soon as they arrive on campus, stressing how critical medical care can be when symptoms escalate.
“I don’t want to gamble with my life or my health anymore,” Moponda said. “Even if I get the slightest of rash, I will go to the GP because it’s worth getting it checked out.”
Public health experts note that meningococcal infections, while rare, can be fatal or life-changing if not treated quickly. Early symptoms often resemble common illnesses like flu, which can delay diagnosis. Student populations are considered at higher risk due to close contact in halls, classrooms, and social settings.
For students beginning their higher education journey, registering with a doctor could be the most important step they take to safeguard their health.
