Every empty chair equals a life impacted by meningitis
This World Meningitis Day, let's make sure fewer chairs are left empty. Join our largest collective day of action against meningitis on Monday, October 5.
About the Initiative
The #MyEmptyChair Campaign
Meningococcal meningitis can progress quickly and unpredictably — striking a healthy person and changing or ending their life within hours.
This World Meningitis Day, the American Society for Meningitis Prevention (ASMP) is bringing together advocates, survivors, families, healthcare professionals, and communities across the country to create a visual reminder of the people whose lives have been affected: an empty chair.
The chair can represent someone lost to meningococcal meningitis, a life forever changed by it, or serve as a symbol of the impact this disease can have.
How It Works
1️⃣ TAKE A PHOTO. Take a photo of an empty chair in a personal or public location — a home, a school, a library, a favorite restaurant table. If placing a chair in a public location, advocates can print an informational sign to prompt passersby to learn more about the campaign and why the chair is empty.
2️⃣ SHARE IT WITH US. Send us your photo by Monday, September 28, so we can include it in our WMD gallery.
3️⃣ POST IT. On World Meningitis Day (Monday, October 5), post a photo of your empty chair on your social media channels using one of our suggested messages (viewable by clicking the button below).
Don’t forget to tag @ASMP_org and use #MyEmptyChair #WorldMeningitisDay #UnpredictableMeningitis.
Behind every empty chair
is a story.
This empty chair is for Joseph.
Joseph’s closest friends gathered at the Seymour Marine Science Center in California, a place that holds a special meaning for them, to share memories, honor his life, and participate in the Empty Chair Campaign on what would have been his 26th birthday.
Share Global World Meningitis Day Materials
The Meningitis Research Foundation, an international charity based in the UK, and its member network, The Confederation of Meningitis Organizations (CoMO), have created their annual meningitis awareness-raising toolkit. Use their free resources to help spread the message even further, wherever you are.
Participate in
Voices From The Frontlines
Are you a healthcare provider who has seen the devastation of meningococcal meningitis firsthand?
The most powerful tool we have is prevention: vaccination against all five meningococcal serogroups — A, B, C, W, and Y. Share a brief reflection to be featured in ASMP's Voices from the Frontlines series.
Learn how in this campaign brief.
