A mother and her son who were both left in comas after contracting meningitis are backing a new drive to raise awareness of the disease.

Claire Hughes, from Bristol, and her son Alfie went into comas when the brain bug struck them three years apart.

Now they are sharing their experiences to support Meningitis UK's latest move to make sure everyone knows what symptoms to look out for.

Meningitis UK said cases of the disease peak each year in February and the Health Protection Agency has just reported a rise for December and January.

As part of its campaign the charity has launched an online quiz and interactive symptoms puzzle to improve people's knowledge of meningitis.

Claire, now 26, said: "I believe Alfie's only here today because I knew what symptoms to look out for.

"Although it left me in a coma fighting for my life, I feel very lucky to have had it and to have been able to save my son.

"Because the symptoms are so similar to flu, people really do have to be alert, not just with children but with adults as my experience shows.

"I would urge people to log on and try Meningitis UK's quiz because it's a fantastic way of testing your knowledge, making sure you know every single symptom to look out for, which could ultimately save a life."

When Claire was 22, she developed an awful headache and couldn't move her neck. After a short sleep, a friend found Claire being sick and she soon passed out.

Claire added: "The last thing I remember is my neck seizing up. I was in so much pain. Then I woke up in hospital three days later.

"I was lucky that someone was there to help get me to hospital. After two weeks I was allowed home and doctors said it was quite amazing that I pulled through."

Claire had Alfie a couple of years later and when at 14 months old he complained of a stiff neck, she took him straight to the doctors. However Claire was told it was just a cold and sent home.

Claire continued: "I knew something was wrong so called 999 and described his symptoms. They said time was of an essence.

"Frenchay Hospital was only 10 minutes away but during the journey he fell into a coma. It had literally been an hour and a quarter between me noticing something was wrong and him fighting for his life.

"He came out in a rash at the hospital so they induced a coma and took him straight to intensive care, where he was unconscious for two days. It was worse for me to watch him go through it than have it myself."

Alfie has now made a full recovery and is a healthy two-year-old.

Meningitis UK's latest awareness initiative involves two short quizzes with multiple-choice answers, covering issues from how bacterial meningitis is transferred to survival rates.

The interactive symptoms puzzle shows users images of three people – one with meningitis, one with meningococcal septicaemia and one with both – and lets them drag and drop symptoms onto each body to learn what to look out for with each form of the disease.

Analysis of answers will also help the charity to focus its awareness material more effectively, targeting the areas where people have the least knowledge.

Kate Rowland, head of development at the charity, said: "The quiz is a fun way for people to learn what to look out for and what they should do if someone they know falls ill with meningitis.

"Because the disease can kill in less than four hours, prompt treatment can mean the difference between life and death, especially during February when people are most at risk.

"Sadly we hear stories daily of cases where delays in treatment have led to death or survivors being left with disabling after-effects, which is why we hope as many people as possible will take the quiz to ensure they have the best chance of beating this devastating disease."

The charity said people were most at risk during the winter months, with the majority of dangerous bacterial forms striking due to weakened immune systems and germs spreading more easily.

Classic symptoms of meningitis are a headache, stiff neck and a dislike of bright light. Other symptoms can include difficulty supporting own weight, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea and confusion and drowsiness.

Common symptoms of meningococcal septicaemia include aching limbs, cold hands and feet and a rash which starts like pin prick marks and develops rapidly into purple bruising.

To take part in the quiz visit www.meningitisuk.org/awareness/quiz.