Like many children starting school, Eve Pattison was excited and enthusiastic.

It doesn’t take long for that enthusiasm to disappear. And when Eve, aged four, showed lower levels of interest one morning, mum and dad Kelly and Mike thought that might have been all it was.

They had no idea she had a potentially deadly illness.

Eve made a full recovery and is now a year three pupil at Newtown Community Primary School in Carlisle. “She’s a typical seven year old – she loves singing and dancing,” says her mum. “She’s doing really well at school.”

And her parents feel immensely fortunate to have her. Only a few weeks into her reception year, Eve was found to have contracted meningitis.

The very term is guaranteed to terrify any parent. Most know it can be fatal.

But the Meningitis Research Foundation finds that many know little else about it. So its aim this week, declared Meningitis Awareness Week, is to provide more information and advice about the condition and how to fight it.

Meningitis is the inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. There are many different forms of it and some can also cause blood poisoning, or septicaemia.

Viruses and bacteria are the most common causes of meningitis – and the bacterial form is the most dangerous. Around 10 per cent of those who get it will die.

It can strike at any age, but the under-fives are the most at-risk age group.

However those who survive it, or who contract viral meningitis, won’t always escape unscathed.

“The majority of people know that meningitis can cause death,” says Vinny Smith, the foundation’s chief executive. “Fewer people know that it can cause after-effects such as deafness, blindness and cognitive impairment.”

Some victims even lose limbs.

If it’s going to be treated successfully, early diagnosis is vital. Vaccines, to prevent people from catching it in the first place, are better.

“We campaign to widen access to meningitis vaccines, and encourage everyone to take up all the vaccinations available to them and their family,” says Mr Smith.

“Check whether you are eligible on meningitis.org or with your GP.”

It was the change in Eve’s attitude to school that first led her parents to suspect something was wrong. It wasn’t like her at all.

“Every morning she’d be up and in her uniform before we got out of bed!” recalls Kelly, 43, from Raffles in Carlisle. “She wasn’t one of those kids who wouldn’t get up.”

But one November morning she was still in her nightie at 8am. “I thought the novelty of school was wearing off.”

Eve showed no interest in breakfast either. “I tried to get her to drink some water. She took one sip and threw it up.”

And so she was kept off for the day. Later that morning Mike phoned to see how she was and Kelly noticed a spot on Eve’s ankle.

“By the time he got home she was covered from the neck down with spots.”

One rough way of checking for meningitis is to try the “glass test”. A glass is rolled over the skin and if the spot doesn’t disappear when being pressed by the glass, then it could be a sign of meningitis.

It’s not a surefire indicator. Sometimes meningitis presents no rash. But when a doctor saw Eve he sent the family straight to Accident and Emergency at Cumberland Infirmary.

She was admitted to hospital, tests were carried out and Kelly says: “By about half 10 we had got her settled. Then she deteriorated really quickly. Within 20 minutes she was on life support.

“It was very frightening – I ran out of the room screaming. There was a real risk that she would die and at that point you couldn’t do anything.”

Later that night Eve was transferred to the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle and treated with antibiotics. “She responded very well. She’s a strong little monkey.”

And late the following week Eve was back at school. She’s had regular check-ups since but her mum says: “She’s just flourishing.”

Not all children respond as well as Eve. Prevention is better than cure. But when she was born some of the anti-meningitis vaccines weren’t available.

Now more of them are. There are many different strains of the illness and Kelly accepts: “You can’t vaccinate against everything in life. But when they are available you should consider them. They are there for a reason.”

She adds: “Trust your instincts. You know your own children best.”

It was a mother’s instinct that alerted Donna Little that something was wrong.

Donna and husband Adam, from Sandsfield Park in Carlisle, had three older children so had seen the usual share of childhood ailments. When the youngest, Evie, was four months old, they knew what was wrong was no ordinary complaint.

“She had a high temperature, she wasn’t feeding, she wouldn’t be held.” Significantly, however, there was no rash.

The out of hours doctor service had diagnosed a virus and send them home. But Donna, now 34, and Adam, 38, weren’t convinced and took Evie to hospital. Tests were carried out and it was a case of waiting for results – and the parents were desperately worried.

“It wasn’t a nice thing go through,” she recalls.

“But the staff at children’s ward moved straight away. They were very quick.”

And like Eve, Evie seems to have made a full recovery. She’s now almost four and her mum reports: “She’s doing great.”

Over the last three years Donna has raised around £7.000 for the charity Meningitis Now, organising Halloween parties for children and dances. Tickets have already sold out for this year’s Halloween party.

After under-fives, the second most at-risk age group are those from 15 to 24.

Mass gatherings are also known to be a risk factor. And there has been a mass gathering of that group in Carlisle this week, for Freshers’ Week at the University of Cumbria.

So Michelle Leek, the university’s pro-vice chancellor and director of student and staff services, assures them that protection is in place.

“As part of our planning, we provide our new and returning students with a wealth of information, advice and guidance on all matters relating to health and wellbeing – from the practicalities of registering for a doctor to mental health advice and awareness raising about conditions such as meningitis.”

For more information, go to at.my.cumbria.ac.uk