The Ministry of Health’s chief population health advisor is warning university students they should be vaccinated against multiple strains of meningococcal disease – before it’s too late.

The call comes after the death of 19-year-old Penelope Lake, who died after contracting meningococcal septicaemia – the C strain of the disease. She had been vaccinated against meningococcal B.

Her death has prompted Dr John Holmes to speak out about the potentially fatal effects of strains with vaccines not covered by the government.

“Meningococcal disease is a very variable disease and sometimes, as in this case, it can have tragic consequences,” he said.

The immunisation handbook recommends that parents of young people who are going to university or living in halls of residence should consider having their child vaccinated against meningococcal C disease. The cost is between $60-70.

He said six people died from meningococcal last year out of 96 who contracted the disease.

Holmes believes New Zealanders should count themselves lucky that there has been no major outbreak of it in halls of residence.

Penelope’s parents are still in shock from what happened, along with her sister, Amy.

“She was 19. Those kinds of things don’t really happen to people like us. You always see them in the news and stuff and think ‘that’s not going to happen to us’. (You) kind of underestimate meningococcal,” Amy said.

The kung fu and Victoria University student fell ill on Tuesday and was rushed to Wellington Hospital with a low blood pressure reading after her parents took her to an after-hours clinic.

Shortly after being taken to intensive care, Penelope had a heart attack. Doctors gave her CPR but she could not be revived.

Penelope’s mother, Sarah, said she and her husband continue to go over in their minds whether there was anything they could have done differently.

“I don’t think we did the wrong thing anywhere… it’s such a feeling of helplessness that even if you do all the right things you can still lose them.”

And her words came with a warning.

“It’s better to go and be told ‘you’ve got the flu, go home and take two panadeine’, than to just brush it off and think ‘oh I’ll wait until the morning’.

“Because the morning just may not come,” she said.

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