Irish Rugby captain Rory Best and former England Rugby player Matt Dawson put their on pitch rivalries to one side in order to unite and highlight the new Tackle Meningitis campaign.
Dawson's son previously contracted meningitis and that was one of the key reasons he put his name to the campaign to get help raise awareness of the disease.
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What is Meningitis?
Meningitis is the inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord. It can cause life-threatening blood poisoning, permanent damage to the brain or nerves, loss of limbs and in some cases, death.
There are different strains of meningitis that can affect both children and young people. No single vaccine can protect from all strains.
If you suspect someone may have meningitis or septicemia you need to trust your instincts and seek the nearest medical help immediately.
What are the signs?
Matt Dawson's three-year-old son, Sami, contracted meningitis and was on a life-support machine for two weeks. Since then he has thankfully recovered from the disease but Matt is determined to help parents catch the signs.
Speaking about the nightmarish experience, he told us RTÉ: "I wish I had known more about meningitis and what to look out for.
"People only think of the glass test, but there are other lesser known symptoms that it’s very important to be aware of."
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"Knowing things like when the child is feverish, [if you] think they have a virus, nausea, slight confusion, very hot body but cold hands and feet, noticeably cold hands and feet, the fear of bright lights." he added.
Caroline Krieger, Medical Information Officer with the Meningitis Research Foundation, said: "The narrow-time window for diagnosis of meningitis and the absence of effective vaccines for all strains of the disease means that it is essential for parents, carers and health professionals to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease."
Rory Best and Matt Dawson
Ireland Rugby Captain Rory Best, himself a father of two, wanted to help support Matt in raising awareness of meningitis in Ireland.
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Rory said: "As a parent myself, you always fear meningitis and when I heard what happened to Matt’s son, I realised that I myself was perhaps not as informed as I could be around this disease."
In the above video Matt explained that his reason for raising awareness is because of his son's experience with the disease.
"I wish I knew then what I know now and so with the help of people like Rory and other sporting friends I've decided just to spread the word as much as possible."
For more information on Meningitis you can visit the HSE's website here or Meningitis Ireland here.
